Wait! I'm marrying who?
by N-AngelFire
Summary: It's been six years since Sasuke left Konoha. Now he's discovered a prearranged marriage between him and Sakura. Mission revive clan is in action. Easy right? Not if an upset Sakura has anything to say about it...
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first story on No flames please!**

**Disclaimer: I do Not own Naruto**

Prologue:

'_Six years…'_ Haruno Sakura silently mused as she sat across the room from the object of her thoughts. Uchiha Sasuke… the lone survivor of the Uchiha Clan massacre, the great Uchiha avenger, and all around jerk.

She tucked one arm under the other as she sipped on her sake. She watched as Naruto bounced around merrily, attempting to lighten the mood. Nothing could lighten her mood now. That stupid Uchiha left her heart-broken six years ago, it'd take more than a massive battle and a pathetic apology to calm her nerves.

What did she want from him? Friendship? Trust? No, she just wanted to be left alone. After he left Konoha she made a point to become stronger. She was now one of the best Kunoichi that Konoha ever gave birth to. She trained with the Fifth Hokage, became anbu captain at age 16, grew her hair out again, and was probably the most popular female in Konoha.

She raised a fine eyebrow as the said Uchiha made eye contact with her. Sakura quickly averted her emerald eyes to a more interesting sight, namely Naruto who was singing (or howling) at the top of his lungs.

She smiled "Naruto…" he never changed. He would always make her smile.

Her eyes narrowed at Sasuke once more. After thinking over her past she silently swore to never try to become romantically involved with Uchiha Sasuke. Little did she know, that oath would soon be broken.

**What do you think? Review please!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay Chapter one! I'm so… excited??? Please not that I'm not sure hot to use I'm used to Tokyopop but oh well…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, or ANYTHING!!! **

Sakura had to admit it; the party was a stupid idea. Today was Sasuke's nineteenth birthday (big whoop) and Naruto wanted to make it special so he invited everyone to celebrate. When I say everyone, I mean down to Tonton and the Ramen man. Yeah, Naruto went a little ballistic with his planning.

So anyways, here they all sat in a nearby club, bored as hell. Ino tried to dance with Sasuke on several occasions but was heartlessly rejected. Shikamaru watched and sighed, Chouji stuffed his mouth, Kiba played with Akamaru, Shino looked like a stiff, Naruto danced, Hinata blushed, and Sasuke was being a prick as always.

"What made me like him anyway?" she mumbled under her breath. She tried to remember what attracted her to him in the first place. Ino, sensing her bad mood came running over.

"Sakura-chan!" she screeched, waving her arms madly. "Why so glum? And since when did you drink so much sake?" Sakura glared upward at her friend.

"Since when did you call me chan?"

Ino winked playfully "I decided to be a little nicer. You should try the same, you know." She paused thoughtfully "Hey, go say something to Sasuke!" she nudged her friend "You haven't said anything to him all evening!"

Sakura tried to hide her smug smirk. She barely said anything to him within the past two and a half years. Most of the time she only said "Hn." "Hi." "Where's Naruto?" and "Pass the salt."

It wasn't that she hated her teammate, she was just sick of him. She was sick of longing for him, sick of his attitude, just plain sick. She clutched her stomach. Definitely sick. She propped herself up by her elbows and groaned.

"You think you had enough Sake Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked up to see her teammate and close friend Naruto leaning over her, his cerulean eyes shining with worry. She volunteered a brief smile "Nah, I'm trying to get drunk here."

Naruto's eyes grew huge "NO! YOU CAN'T GET DRUNK!" he cried melodramatically while catching the attention of everyone in the room. "YOU'LL BE JUST LIKE TSUNADE! FIGHT THE URGES! STOP DRINKING! DO-" Sakura punched him in the stomach, causing him to bend over in pain.

"Shut up Naruto, I was kidding."

"Oh." He grinned, "I knew that."

Sighing heavily she pulled herself up. Feeling herself tip over she clutched the table edge. "Too much sake…" she mumbled while waiting for the world to stop spinning.

"You sure you're okay?" Ino and Naruto both asked, their blue eyes bright with concern.

"Yeah, uh huh… go away." She waved carelessly at them "Enjoy the party guys, I'm leaving."

They both watched as their friend walked off. Uchiha Sasuke's eyes trailed her as she exited the room. He instantly rose up "I'm leaving too." He saw Naruto's saddened expression "Thanks."

He quickly followed his pink-haired teammate out the door. She had definitely changed over the years. Where there were once joyful smiles there were confident grins. She no longer attempted to flirt with him; it was like he was pushed to the back of her mind. If anything, she seemed pretty mad at him. She wouldn't hold a grudge for six years? Right?

-

-

"Damned door… open up!"

Sakura glared violently at her door. For years the stupid thing would not respond to the proper key. She glared once more and let out a string of profane words that would make any decent person cover their ears.

"You know…" a cool voice said from behind her "Swearing won't make it open."

"How do you know?" She said heatedly, not even turning around to face the speaker. "What do you want anyway, Sasuke?"

Sure enough, the said figure was standing behind her with his arms folded. He looked almost the same as he did years ago. Except for the longer hair and weary expression, he was the same Sasuke she knew when she was a genin.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Hn. Nothing."

"Then why are you here?"

He glanced off to the side. He caught sight of a few curious figures who watched them. He inwardly sighed. All the people of Konoha were talking about them. When he returned with his old team and team eight, everyone anticipated a growing romance between him and Sakura. Hell, he was one of the anticipators. Sure she was annoying but he needed to complete his dream of restoring his clan.

She surprised him on that day. When they returned to Konoha, a few enthusiastic shinobi and nosy bystanders greeted them. Ino ran up and glomped him in front of everyone. She pointedly looked at Sakura, who to everyone's amazement, merely shrugged and headed home. If he didn't have his Uchiha pride, his jaw would've dropped along with everyone else's.

"Awww, she's just a little upset…" Tsunade patted his shoulder condescendingly. Apparently not. That attitude remained for the next four years.

"She'll warm up to you in no time." Kakashi said from behind his book. That was a lie too. She never did smile at him like she used to. It wasn't like it concerned him, he was just… curious. Why did she choose this time to ignore him?

"I asked you a question Uchiha."

Sasuke's gaze returned to her angry face. He had forgotten that he was there, standing on her doorstep like some long-lost lover or something stupid like that…

"Sakura…" he stated simply. How could he tell her what he knew? She would probably laugh or brush him off.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." She finally succeeded in yanking her door open. "If that is all, I bid you goodnight."

He stared at the door in amazement. She just slammed the door on him, something that had never happened in all his years of being an Uchiha. He sighed in relief; at least she wouldn't be much trouble. He wondered how she would react to tomorrows news. Then he realized that he didn't care. As long as he succeeded in his mission.

-

-

The following morning, Sakura woke up with a headache. She moaned in irritation. Stupid headache. Stupid Sasuke. Stupid Orochimaru. Stupid Cap'n Crunch. She stomped on the box irately. She was now out of Advil and Cap'n Crunch. Life was so unfair.

A knock on the door broke her out of her angry state. Using her fingers as a comb, she answered it.

"Hello Kotetsu-kun," she smiled sweetly at her admirer of two years. "What can I do for you?"

His cheeks reddened slightly at Sakura's current state. She was still wearing her sleeping clothes, a white tank-top with bed shorts. She seemed undaunted by his embarrassment, folding her arms she leaned against the doorframe.

Kotetsu glanced at his feet before directing his gaze to her beautiful green eyes. "Tsunade-sama wishes to see you now."

"Now?" Sakura groaned.

"Now."

"Tell her I'll be there in a few minutes… just let me get dressed…" she quickly closed the door. Stupid Tsunade and her stupid missions. The last thing she needed was another mission. Especially with this stupid headache. She seated herself at the table and reached for her bowl. Then it dawned on her, she still had no cereal.

"AAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!"

-

-

"Where is that girl?"

Tsunade groaned to no one in particular. Shizune ignored her teachers' question seeing her current mood. Tsunade was in no better state than her pink-haired pupil. Both sported pounding headaches.

The doors suddenly slammed open as Sakura, garbed in traditional anbu uniform, burst into the room. "Sorry I'm late!"

"Uh huh…" Tsunade looked unimpressed "What's your excuse this time?"

"It's all Cap'n Crunches fault!"

Sakura then noticed that Sasuke was in the room. "Whoops… heh heh…"

"Anyways," she snapped her head back towards Tsunade "What's the mission this time? Please tell me that Ino's doing the one with the Chancellors nephew, because if I have to escort that leech one more time I'll-" She closed her mouth as soon as she saw Tsunade's glare.

"Sakura…" the blonde Hokage rubbed her temples wearily "I didn't call you about a mission. But I will give you extra points for being prepared." She nodded at Sakura's uniform and sword which was strapped on wrong.

"Oh."

"The reason why I called you two here today," she nodded towards Sasuke who stood silently in a corner. "Is because of this." She held out a scroll with the Uchiha seal stamped on it.

Both of Sakura's eyebrows shot up "It's an Uchiha scroll… why would it have anything to do with me?"

Tsunade gave a brief smile. Her smile was sadder than usual, Sakura seemed to notice that because she opened her mouth, Tsunade quickly spoke up. "Sakura, you were given in an arranged marriage years ago."

"A-what?"

"You know what arranged marriages are don't you?" Sakura nodded, her cheeks reddening.

"Well you-marriage-arranged-Uchiha?" She rushed all her words together. Sakura blinked at her.

"Huh? Uchiha?"

Tsunade took several deep breaths much to Sakura's confusion and Sasuke's amusement. "You're going to marry Sasuke, it's been predetermined."

"WHAT???"

Her shouts could be heard from Suna. "What was that?" Gaara asked.

Sakura approached Tsunade's desk with an ominous cloud hanging over her head. Much to everyone's surprise she lifted the Hokage up by her shirt collar. "WHAT DID YOU SAY???" she bellowed into her face.

"Sakura, get a grip!" Tsunade shoved her violent pupil off her. "Just pipe down and I'll explain everything." Sakura fell into a chair and sat there, glaring at Tsunade and Sasuke. "Before you were born, your mother and Sasuke's father were good friends."

She looked unimpressed "Uh huh."

"VERY good friends…" Tsunade pressed again. Sakura looked at her blankly.

"Very VERY good friends!" Tsunade shouted while waggling her eyebrows like mad.

"They had an affair." Sasuke spoke from his corner of the room. All heads turned towards him. "Yeah," Tsunade nodded "That's what I was saying."

She cleared her throat nervousely. "Yeah like I said, because of the affair your family name was shamed. People called her Whore-uno and other cruel names, shame was to stay on your household as long as the villagers new of this shameful affair." Sakura looked at her teacher in shock. No wonder her mother got all sad whenever anyone mentioned the Uchiha clan massacre.

"So," Sakura pointed at Sasuke "We're related?"

"Thank goodness no."

Tsunade leaned backwards in her chair and took a swig of water before continuing. "To make it up to your mother, and to lock up news of the affair they arranged a marriage between her child and theirs." Sakura raised a hand.

Her green eyes were troubled "Wouldn't that mean Itachi?"

The blonde nodded "Yes, you would've married Itachi. But the scroll said the Uchiha heir, since Itachi is dead that makes Sasuke you're beau."

"Couldn't we just… break the engagement or something?" Sakura pleaded, now going down on her knees.

"I wish that I could," Tsunade's usually harsh eyes softened "But I have no right to intrude on clan business… according to the scroll you are to marry once you are of age. The engagement period is to last for…"

'_Please say two years, please say two years!'_ Inner Sakura pleaded.

"…two weeks…"

Sakura's world was officially at an end.

Authors Notes: Okay lame idea, I know.. but keep reading. I swear I'll gain my swagger within another chapter or so. Right now I'm just tired. Please Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Yay!! I can't believe that actual people are actually reading this! I honestly thought that this was gonna burn. Thank you guys soooo much! I can't remember your pen names right now but I'll mention them in the next chapter.

**Oh just to make things clear. Sakura is 18 while Sasuke is 19. Everything's supposed to go along with the original Naruto timeline, you know Sasuke returns at age 15/16, blah blah. Everyone else is pretty much the same ages as those two (excluding the adults and stuff).**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto, if I did why would I write fanfiction?**

"Oh. My. God." Ino breathed excitedly "You can't be serious!"

Sakura slapped her forehead for the fifteenth time that day. "Yes I'm serious, now will you help me out or no?"

"What I don't get is why didn't they pick me? I mean, I'm young I'm pretty, I have a normal sized forehead..."

"Shut up."

"Okay, okay" Ino waved her hands in front of her face defensively. "I can take a hint." She leaned forward "So how did it all happen?"

Sakura slapped her forehead for the sixteenth time that day. All that slapping was starting to draw the attention of other customers in the tea shop. "I told you, Tsunade called me into her office and announced it."

"What was Sasuke like?" Ino nearly fell into her cup of tea with excitement. '_Moron,' _Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Oh him?" she asked innocently "He seemed really excited."

Ino's blue eyes rolled skyward. "Be serious. This is Sasuke we're talking about."

Sakura shrugged before taking a long sip of her mint tea. The cool tingly flavor really hit the spot. She observed Ino's impatient glare and grinned, she raised her cup to her lips once more.

"THAT"S ENOUGH!" Ino's shriek scared several of the customers and caused a waiter to spill several cups of hot tea on an unlucky man's lap. The man jumped up and down while screaming.

"Now look what you did…"

"I wouldn't have done that if you just answered my question." Ino pouted. "Tell me the truth, what was he like?"

Sakura's green eyes were fixated on the light fixture above her. "Well…" she tapped her chin "he was just… Sasuke. Unenthused, bored, he only seemed to care about his 'mission.'"

Flashback 

_After the announcement, and a lot of begging and screaming Sakura and Sasuke both walked outside of her office with equal grimaces. Sakura death glared Sasuke while he in return coolly looked the other way. His attitude annoyed her to no end._

"_Look," Sasuke said, surprising Sakura "Neither of us agree to these arrangements…"_

"_Tell me something I don't know."_

"_However, they will expect us to produce heirs." _

_Sakura stood their, blinking in surprise for a whole two minutes. "What?"_

"_Reproduce." He stood waiting for her reaction. He was not disappointed._

"_WHAT!?!"_

"_I'm telling you, I keep on hearing things." Gaara complained to his unimpressed siblings._

"_YOU! THEY- THEY WANT US TO REPRODUCE?!?"_

_Sasuke sighed impatiently while running a hand through his hair. "Sakura…" his voice held a hard warning._

"_Don't you 'Sakura' me!" She stamped her foot angrily "I think you had this planned from the beginning! You closet pervert!"_

_Several passerbies began whispering furiously._

"_Shut up. You're annoying!" They both froze and looked at each other. Sakura lowered her head. Her body was trembling. Just as Sasuke was thinking that she was crying…_

"_Don't you dare use that stupid line on me again." She jerked her head up angrily. Her eyes were colder than ice. "It won't work this time."_

_There was an uncomfortable silence. Sakura's cold eyes never left Sasuke's equally cold face. He was slightly surprised with her, saying 'you're annoying' would usually cause her to burst into tears or leave him alone. _

_The Sakura of old and the new Sakura both irritated him. He stepped closer to her "I don't care what you think or what you have to say!" he hissed dangerously. Sakura's emerald eyes opened in shock. "There's no way out of this, so just deal with it. If I had my way, I'd find a way to asexually reproduce. Since I can't, I have to deal with __**you.**__" _

_He said 'you' with such harshness and disgust that Sakura could not hold back her tears._

"_I have a mission." He continued "You knew that from the very beginning. I will revive the Uchiha clan, whether you care or not."_

_With that, he turned and stalked off leaving a depressed Sakura behind. "So that's how it is, huh?" she whispered, hugging herself._

_**End Flashback**_

"Oh," Ino nodded understandingly. Sakura set down her cup and smiled at her friend. Somehow knowing that her best friend sympathized made the situation look a little brighter.

"Well… you always did want to marry an Uchiha." The blonde pointed out.

Sakura shook her head quickly. "If I had've known that things would end up like this, I would've never wished for that at all."

"What? You mean the thing with Naruto?"

Sakura gave a small smile "Yeah… who wouldathunk?"

-

-

By the following morning, news of the marriage spread throughout all of Konoha and neighboring countries.

"Did you hear? The lone survivor of the Uchiha clan is marrying that Haruno girl?"

"You mean the pink-haired one?"

"Yeah, her name's Sakura and she's on his team. Isn't that romantic?"

"I don't think so. I think I would've made a better wife than her."

"It's such a shame that he's getting married so soon. Just when I thought I'd have a chance…"

Naruto covered a mouth as he walked by the gossiping girls. Holding back a grin, he sauntered over towards Sakura's apartment. He stopped as soon he noticed several men, women, and friends gathered around Sakura's door. Two men walked out carrying a dresser with Sakura right behind them.

"Yo! Sakura-Chan!" Naruto waved his hand eagerly. Smiling brightly Sakura jogged over towards her friend (cough).

"Naruto-kun!" she embraced him briefly before pulling back "What brings you here?"

"I thought I'd help out. Whoa you're really moving in with Sasuke-teme eh?"

"Yeah…" her smile came out a little sadder than she hoped.

"So I guess that's it huh?" His question caught her by surprise. She nodded reflectively, that would be the end of something they just only begun. Two months ago she had started developing feelings for her cheerful teammate. They started casually dating, not wanting to call any attention on themselves. Now it was over. Just like that, just when she was ready to get serious.

"Naruto-kun…" she whispered. She was going to say more when their ex-teammate approached them.

"Hey Naruto, hey ugly."

"Sai." Sakura grinned playfully at him "What brings you here?"

He shrugged "Local gossip. I read that that's a way to keep up with the news. Sasuke's fan girls have a lot of information about this marriage."

Her black-eyed teammate gave a brief smile. She smiled back, and Naruto merely frowned. "Hey guess who's here?" They turned to see Sasuke standing a good distance away from the apartment. He was silently observing the moving crew.

Naruto glanced at Sakura, her eyes shone with fear and anger. "Sakura-Chan, I promise it's going to be alright. If nothing else you'll always have Team Seven." Sakura nodded in response.

"Yo Sasuke-teme! Stop being an antisocial prick and come over here!" Naruto yelled gleefully. Sasuke turned and death-glared Naruto. Grinning from ear to ear Naruto began jumping up and down while waving. "Don't ignore me Sasuke! C'mon over!"

Sighing and mumbling something about a 'stupid, brain-dead, dobe' Sasuke came towards the group.

"Hey," Sai offered a smile.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and 'hnned'. He never did take a liking to his replacement. Sai was too strange for him. He also saw him as feminine. He didn't appreciate being replaced by this strange artist. He also didn't appreciate how readily the rest of Team Seven welcomed him in.

"Good morning Sasuke-san." Sakura wasn't even going to try giving a smile. She gave a graceful nod as she uttered her greeting.

"Hey."

They stood in an awkward silence. Naruto began whistling while desperately looking for an escape. His came in the form of a shy, stuttering, Hyuga heiress.

"HINATA-CHAN!" he bellowed joyfully before sprinting towards the quiet figure.

The rest of his team watched him in a mixture of envy, disgust, relief, and happiness.

"What's that for?" Sasuke suddenly asked. Sakura turned and saw him pointing to a medal that was innocently draping over one of her drawers.

She huffed in exasperation "Well if you must know, that was my ticket into the anbu black ops. I was awarded with that along with a promotion for my quick thinking and valiance."

Sasuke gave another 'hn' and raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"I saved the village!" she said heatedly "With my quick thinking."

Sai suddenly began laughing. Sasuke looked at him like he was an idiot and Sakura turned red. "Sai… shut up."

Flashback 

"_What's this?" Sakura asked as Sai brought her into a strange building._

"_It's a recreational area. I heard that some of the activities are good for your reflexes. The Hokage said that I should go here to sharpen my reflexes. So I brought you along, ugly." Sai said as he brought her towards an area on the side. "I even have a membership here. Let's play this game." He held up a paddle._

_Sakura stared at him in confusion "What do you do? Slap each other with it or something?"_

"_The man said it's called ping pong." Sai held up a little ball "I ping it to you and you pong it back." He hit the ball in example._

"_Oh! I think I get it!" Her green eyes shone with excitement "Can I try?"_

_Sai nodded before going on his side of the table. The table was set so that his back was facing a window that was several feet away. Holding the ball upwards, he let it drop, bounce, and then hit it innocently towards her._

_Sakura gave a hard swing. Unfortunately, due to her inhumane strength, her swing was a little too hard. Sai ducked as the ball shot over his head like a bullet and smashed through the window._

"_OH MY GOD!" someone from outside screamed "HE'S DEAD!"_

_Sakura and Sai both stared at each other in shock. "Oh no." they both ran out the door towards a small crowd that was huddled towards a figure on the ground._

_Just when things couldn't get worse, Morino Ibiki showed up. He pushed people aside and approached the figure. After kneeling over the man for a minute he stood up straight and asked, "Who did this?"_

_Still unused to saying the 'right thing' Sai raised a hand "Sakura did, with a ping pong ball!" he piped up cheerfully._

_Ibiki's hard eyes met with Sakura's worried orbs. "Do you realize what you've done?" he asked gruffly._

"_Siritwasanaccident! Ididn'tmeantodoit,Iwasplayingpingpongand-" Ibiki raised a hand, instantly silencing her._

"_You just saved us all."_

"_Huh?" Both Sai and Sakura asked in confusion._

"_This man," Ibiki pointed towards the figure on the ground "Was an enemy ninja, a spy who somehow infiltrated our defenses and snuck into the village. He's one of the men we've been keeping an eye on. His jutsu were so powerful, that he would've had no trouble destroying our guards and letting the rest of those sound ninja in. Our village would've been in grave danger, had it not been for you." Then he shocked everyone by giving a large smile "I must admit, that was pretty clever of you. Using a ping pong ball of all things!" He patted her back heartily, which nearly knocked her over in the process._

"_Wait," Sai spoke up "You're saying that ugly-"_

"_Thanks to her quick thinking and resourcefulness, she saved the village without even engaging in combat with the enemy." Ibiki smiled again "If she had've attacked him, he surely would have used his jutsu and many innocent lives would have been lost. Sakura, I'm going to report this to Hokage-sama and make sure that you get that promotion that you've been dying for. Good work Sakura, the village needs more ninja like you. I think we all agree when I say that you'll make a fine anbu."_

_During the awards ceremony Sakura couldn't stop gaping and Sai snickered during the whole thing_

_**End Flashback**_

Sasuke stared strangely at the snickering Sai. "Whatever." He walked off leaving the two standing there.

"I must admit," Sai spoke up "That was pretty funny. You know because of your 'valiance and quick thinking' that you made me laugh for the first time." He quickly pulled out a book and read from it "You're something else' ugly"

Sakura glowered at him before turning around "Sure…"

"I just hope that Sasuke will someday realize that." Sai looked at her sincerely.

Sakura turned to face her teammate. A slow, sincere smile spread across her delicate features. "Sai… Thanks."

She quickly walked off leaving Sai to his thoughts. "Sakura," he headed home.

-

-

Walking aimlessly through Konoha was one of Sakura's favorite pastimes. She liked the feeling of having nothing to do and no one to worry about. Tsunade made sure that someone took her place in her hospital shift. "You need the time to get ready for the wedding," Tsunade told her.

Several villagers stopped what they were doing to stare at her.. Girls around her age were glaring at her, while young men wept hopelessly. Yup the news was definitely out.

"Forehead-girl!"

"Sakura!"

"S-sakura-chan!" Sakura turned to see her three friends Ino, Tenten, and Hinata running over towards her.

"I just heard the news from Neji!" Tenten announced, "He seemed real mad about it."

Sakura gave a small smile; Neji was like an older brother to her. They had several good memories together.

"Yeah, news spreads pretty quickly around this village." Sakura said carelessly. "What brings you guys here?"

Ino grinned at the other girls before grinning at her. "Shopping!"

"For what?"

"Y-youre w-wedding dress…" Hinata poked her fingers together uncomfortably. She prayed that Sakura wouldn't explode. In most circumstances she would, but since her shy friend was here she quickly swallowed her anger.

"Um… okay…"

"YES!!!" Ino and Tenten jumped up and down before grabbing Sakura's arms and dragging her down the street. Hinata ran behind her friends with a small smile on her face. Sakura didn't know what she just got herself into.

Authors Note: Yeah, yeah I know that every Naruto story contains those four girls shopping or something. But seriously, things need to lighten up. Just a teensy bit. Um I don't know when the next chapter is coming out. I'm still getting used to I mean, I've been on Tokyopop all this time.

**Thanks to all you reviewers! I love you guys! I'm so glad that this story didn't- wait I already said that.**

**See that purple button in the corner? Make me a happy person and just press it! **


	4. Chapter 4

Yay!!! Chapter four! I wasn't gonna add it today but I said "eh, what the heck?" Today was an awful day though. I got bit by a mosquito, I had a three hour choir rehearsal today, on the way to rehearsal we got a flat tire, when we got there the director had us sing high notes, once we got home we discovered that we didn't have a house key, so we had to drive back and get one from my brother, then all the way back we were behind a person who's car kept on smoking. I swear, I thought it was gonna explode. Anywayzers, enjoy the chapter. It might not be that good for cough obvious reasons.

**Disclaimer: Why do I need a disclaimer? It's a freaking fan fiction for God's sake!**

"Shopping! Shopping! Shopping! Yeah!" Yamanaka Ino pumped her fist into the air excitedly.

"Ino…" Sakura watched her friend skeptically "We're just shopping for a stinking wedding dress."

Ino turned and grinned, "I know, but it's still shopping isn't it! I devised a whole list of stores that sell decent wedding dresses, Kimono's, lingerie…"

"LINGERIE!!!" Ino dodged a punch "Why on earth would I need that?" Sakura screeched. Hinata instantly turned red and poked her fingers together like there was no tomorrow.

"A-aren't you g-g-g-going to ha-ha-have k-kids?" she asked shyly.

"NOT NOW! NOT EVER!!! I HA-" Tenten quickly clamped a hand to her pink-haired friend's mouth.

"Shhhh! Don't let the villagers hear that!" She whispered fiercely "I told them that you're in love."

"YOU WHAT?"

"I swear, I keep on hearing screaming. You guys must think I'm crazy." Gaara complained.

Sakura death-glared all of her friends "What. On. Earth. Made. You. Guys. Do. That."

Tenten shrugged before answering carefully. "The villagers will make a big fuss about it if they discover that you guys are getting married out of anything besides love. So, just play along."

"You mean…" Sakura stared vacantly.

"A-act like y-y-you're in lo-love…" Hinata spoke softly, causing all her friends to lean forward into hearing range.

"EXACTLY!" Ino beamed at her shy friend "Please Sakura-Chan, for the sake of your reputation."

"Since when did I care about my reputation?" Sakura folded her arms crossly. Tenten grinned and shrugged again. A habit that she picked up recently. Sighing, Sakura strode off leaving her friends to whisper amongst themselves.

"Okay!" Ino ran after her "Let's just shop for a wedding dress, and forget about our previous conversation? Okay?" Sakura grumbled in response.

Ino jumped in front of her friend, making Sakura stop short and glare at her. "Okay?" she pouted cutely.

"You know that trick doesn't work on me." She rolled her eyes. "But… whatever."

"Yay!"

-

-

Sakura slapped her forehead, a habit that SHE picked up recently. Ino and Tenten were currently in the middle of a heated argument. Tenten preferred for the dress to go with a more 'traditional' look. A.k.a. a kimono. Whereas Ino wanted a modern wedding dress.

She rolled her eyes at her two friends. They just wouldn't quit. Hinata, in the meanwhile was looking through a magazine for some inspirations. She hummed as she flipped a page and ducked as a barrage of kunai flew over her head. She then skipped to the side as Ino charged past her, towards Tenten. Their arguments always turned into all-out-wars.

"Will you guys stop it already?" Sakura moaned while rubbing her temples. The frightened saleslady nodded her head in agreement "Please," she begged "listen to your friend."

Hinata lifted her head up from behind the magazine. "Stop it already!" she snapped irately. Everyone in the room froze.

"Oh my God…" Ino breathed, "Did Hinata just yell at us?"

Hinata 'eeped' and hid her face behind the magazine. "G-gomen nasai… I didn't m-mean…"

"Alright Hinata!" Tenten cheered. "Tell that girl off! This Kimono is perfect isn't it?" she held up a dirty, rumpled, torn, and pathetic looking Kimono which had several suspicious looking holes in it.

Sakura sweat dropped.

"N-no…" Hinata smiled at all three of her rumpled looking friends "B-but this is…" She held up the magazine and pointed at a page.

"Oh." Tenten breathed.

"My." Sakura said.

"God!" Ino lunged herself at Hinata and held her in a strong embrace (cough. Stranglehold. Cough.) "You're brilliant!"

Sakura shook her head in disbelief. "No Hinata, you're perfect. And so is that design."

The trio rushed the befuddled saleslady. "Get me that dress!" Sakura cried "Now!"

-

-

The following weeks went by in a flash. Sakura spent all of her days running around, and making arrangements. She barely saw any sign of Sasuke, let alone her friends. Ino helped out with the flower arrangements. Hinata rented a historic garden. Tenten pulled all of their friends together in a combined effort. Together, the four friends managed to make it through the engagement weeks.

Sakura plopped down on a park bench. She always pictured the engagement period being a time full of happiness, romance, and joyful planning. This was more like a really boring, stupid, pointless mission. She sighed loudly; life was never what it seemed to be.

She remembered when she was twelve, and she fantasized marrying Sasuke. The wedding was picture perfect. In the fantasy she was the most beautiful bride of all; their wedding vows were fervent, full of passionate love. Everything was beautiful, and she and Sasuke were as happy as could be.

Sakura chuckled; she really was an idiot back then. A voice broke her from her thoughts.

"Haruno."

She glanced up and smiled, "Neji-kun, hey what's up?" The stoic Hyuga seated himself beside her, his gray eyes fixed forward.

"Haruno," he repeated himself "Do you really want to go through with this? I understand that you had previous feelings for the Uchiha, but things have changed."

"Yeah, yeah…" she leaned backwards and folded her arms behind her head in a very 'Naruto-like' gesture. "I've heard that before, but I have to do it anyway. Don't you know what an arranged marriage is?" she poked him playfully.

He gave an indignant snort "Of course I do… it's just that…" he paused and looked skyward "You don't seem very happy."

Sakura forced a laugh "What do you mean? Of course I'm happy! See?" she gave an overly broad grin "I'm HAPPY ALL DAY LONG!"

"No." Neji shook his head doubtfully "Not like you used to be. You used to be fun, silly, and very amusing. Remember the pocky song?"

Sakura's grin was genuine this time. "Of course I do, it was a big hit."

_**Flashback (why? Because we all love them.)**_

_Sakura and Neji walked side by side in the streets of Konoha. They both came back from a long mission and decided to spend their free time together._

"_Why?" Neji had asked her._

"_Because you're a stiff and need a social life." Was her firm reply. So here they were, walking aimlessly through Konoha._

_Just as things were getting boring Tenten came up "Hey guys!" She waved one arm while balancing a box with her other "Guess what I have?"_

"_Ooh!" Sakura clapped her hands joyfully "A box! A very pretty box!"_

"_No silly," Tenten grinned as she slowly opened the top "It's pocky! I got a box of pocky from my aunt!"_

"_YAY!" Both girls embraced each other and jumped up and down. Neji watched them in an amused silence. He was seriously starting to doubt their sanity. They both grinned at each other. Sakura cleared her throat._

"_Here's the pocky song!" she belted out a catchy melody "Won't you sing along?"_

"_It's so fun, singing in the sun!" Tenten added._

"_So here's the pocky song!" they ended in unison. Neji stared in horror. "What. The-"_

_He never finished his sentence. Sakura grabbed his arm and swung him in circles while singing the pocky song at the top of her lungs. Tenten laughed, "Hey, here's a great idea! Let's add more verses!" They cheered and began making up verses._

_Tenten linked her arm with Sakura who linked her arm with Neji. The two skipped down the street belting out 'The Pocky Song' while dragging an unfortunate Neji behind._

_**End Flashback**_

Sakura grinned "Here's The Pocky Song…" she hummed under her breath.

"Don't start." Neji pointed a kunai under her nose. She grinned before swatting it out of his hand. "Silly Neji…" she said while fondly patting his head "Trix are for kids." She skipped off.

Neji stared vacantly at her retreating form. "Trix?"

-

-

Wedding rehearsal was a disaster. The priest was out, but promised to be there on the wedding day so he left his book with the vows in it. Naruto decided to play his part during the rehearsal. He dropped the book three times, snarled out the vows, and death-glared Sasuke.

During the 'vows' Konohamaru, the ring bearer, threw the ring at Sasuke and stormed out while cursing violently. Shikamaru fell asleep on his feet before he walked in. Ino, his partner was forced to drag his sleeping form up towards the 'alter'.

The food was the only good thing about the rehearsal. Sakura groaned into her hands as everyone downed the pre-prepared meal. They shouldn't have left Naruto and Hinata in charge of that. Naruto chose ramen and Hinata agreed. The ramen was good tasting, but a poor choice of food for such an occasion.

Sasuke, who was seated silently beside her, merely downed his ramen and glared at his glass. "Sasuke-san?"

"Hn." His eyes never left his half-empty glass.

"Don't you think, we might need another rehearsal or something?" She nearly slapped her forehead. It sounded lame, but she wanted to drag some kind of conversation out of the stupid ice cube.

"I really don't care." Something inside of Sakura snapped.

"You HEARTLESS JERK!" She grabbed the nearest object, her bowl of Ramen, and dumped it on him. "I tried okay!" she was close to tears "The least you could do is try to be nice! Who cares about your stupid goal? Isn't Konoha good enough? Aren't I good enough." She paused, her voice lowered to a saddened whisper "I really hate you."

With that she stormed off, leaving a confused and slightly satisfied wedding party. Naruto rose up from his seat across the room and paused where a drenched and angry Uchiha sat.

He glared down at his best friend "Bastard." He ran off after Sakura. To hell with the wedding party. Sakura needed him.

Author's note: This is short. I have to go. I'm super sorry and promise to update on Monday. Bye and please please please review! It'll make my day. Read my earlier note if you wanna know how my day was. So make it better, please?


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, today was a MUCH better day than Saturday. Oh I wanted to say thanks to all of my reviewers! One day I'm just gonna write your screen/pen names down and list them in all of my chapters. You guys don't know how much it means to me.

**Disclaimer: Yes I am Masashi Kishimoto. I own Naruto and for some strange reason am writing FAN FICTIONS! Geez, who needs a disclaimer? Its … I think the readers will get the point. **

Sakura had a horrible morning. It wasn't just horrible; it was more like 'God-awful why on earth did I wake up' kind of morning.

First of all, her alarm clock went off at an ungodly hour. At first she thought it was a malfunction but then she remembered that she had to be somewhere that morning. So she ran towards the kitchen. While she was running she tripped over her own slippers. Then she tried getting breakfast but found out that she ran out of cereal. Again. Therefore, she decided to cook eggs. In her sleepy daze she forgot to butter the pan so… She spent half an hour chiseling the eggs out of the pan. Eating them was an experience that she didn't want to repeat.

After all was said and done, she quickly changed into her Anbu uniform which smelled like dog. She could thank Akamaru for that. As she hurried out the door a red mark on her calendar caught her eye. Then it hit her. She was getting married that day. She was supposed to be at Ino's house by now.

"Oh no."

-

-

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!?!" Ino yelled as soon as Sakura approached her doorstep.

"Sorry…" Sakura yawned while being dragged into the house. "I forgot what today was."

"How can you forget your own wedding?" Ino asked her sleepy friend. "Argh never mind!" she viciously shoved Sakura upstairs "We've got to get you ready. Don't worry; we have this whole day planned out. Now go upstairs and get showered, afterwards meet me at Hinata's house."

"Fine."

-

-

That experience was one that Sakura hoped to forget. She had never been so 'pampered' in all her life. Spa treatments, a manicure, getting her hair done, perfume, and the list went on. When it reached the hour of two o' clock, Ino frantically dragged the grumpy bride down the street. Towards the dreaded wedding.

-

-

Sasuke resisted the urge to tap his foot as he waited. He was usually a very patient man, but sometimes your patience can wear thin when you're standing in front of oh… a couple hundred people while wearing a suit. The majority of the guests were rich lords from other countries that he hadn't even heard of. Lot's of people attended, and why? Because he was the last Uchiha, that's why.

Weddings were a stupid idea anyway. He didn't understand why the girls had to go all-out on the stupid occasion. All they needed was a priest and two wedding rings. Noooo, Sakura had to get her friends in on it. He had to admit though the location wasn't bad. His eyes swept over the ancient gardens appreciatively. They were to be wed by the steps of an ancient temple. Whatever. Like he cared.

He heard the music start up, he almost sighed in relief. Almost.

Sakura's mother was escorted in. Afterwards came the wedding party. A grumpy Shikamaru came in first escorting a gorgeous looking Temari. Sasuke had to admit, that Suna-girl could look nice when she wanted to. Afterwards came Tenten with Neji, A stunning Hinata with a bored confused Kiba, and finally the maiden of Honor with the best man.

Naruto looked very mature in his suit, on his arm was an exotic looking Ino, dressed in a blue gown similar to those of the other females.

Then came the ring bearer, flower girls, blah blah. Why did they need this many people anyway? Sasuke folded his arms impatiently. He caught the eye of the Fifth Hokage who cracked her knuckles ominously. Fine, he could wait.

All the guests rose as the traditional wedding march was played. Naruto clenched his fists from behind Sasuke.

As much as he wasn't attracted to females (or males) Sasuke couldn't stop that breath from getting caught in his throat. Down the aisle walked a vision of beauty. The sound of camera's clicking was never ending.

The gown was modern design, with a long sweeping train and low shoulders. Enough about the gown. There were no other words to describe her than 'beautiful'. Her pink locks were carefully pinned up with various wisps and curls framing her lovely face. Small lines of spring flowers were carefully placed on top of where the long sweeping veil was connected. She wore no jewelry or body decoration other than a little strawberry lip gloss, a small amount of eyeliner, and blush.

Unlike most brides, she wasn't beaming down the aisle. She smiled serenely as she came closer to the 'altar'.

If he were any other man, Sasuke's jaw would have hit the ground as soon as she walked under the flowered arch. However he was Uchiha Sasuke, the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre. In other words, he had serious pride issues.

Naruto's body visibly trembled as Sakura drew nearer. Sasuke chose to ignore his best friend, seeing that the last thing he needed was extra drama.

Once she was standing right beside him, it took all of his willpower to tear his eyes away from her. The priest seemed oblivious to it all, as he commanded for them both to kneel. While they knelt he read from his little book.

All that kneeling was driving Sasuke crazy. '_Come on, just hurry up already.'_ Sasuke thought impatiently after several minutes of kneeling while the old crone bantered on.

Finally the man told them to rise and began reciting the vows. Sasuke barely paid attention, but managed to say 'I do' in all the right places. Sakura on the other hand, was eyeing the priest viciously. Her eyes only met with Sasuke's once, and even then she merely turned her attention back to the priest.

"I do." Her voice was firm and smooth. She, like her husband-to-be showed very little emotion. Her face was peaceful, calm, like that of a true shinobi.

"If there is any reason why these two should not be united in holy matrimony…" the priest began. Sasuke instantly looked up. "… Speak now or forever hold your peace."

There was an intense silence as soon as he finished speaking. Even the priest seemed to notice the heavy tension in the air. He coughed nervously and began cleaning his already shining glasses. Sakura looked at Naruto. He gave her an unsteady grin, to which she responded with her most beautiful smile. Sasuke merely clenched his fist.

"Well um," the priest coughed again "I guess not…" he began saying some other boring stuff to which Sasuke paid no attention. They exchanged rings and listened to him drone on again. He just wanted to get it done and over with.

"I now pronounce you, Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha." Sasuke's head snapped up. It was over already? "You may now kiss the bride."

Both the bride and the groom looked at each other. Sakura's cool mask slipped off as she gazed at Sasuke. Kiss him? Couldn't they take a vote?

Sasuke glanced at her uneasily, his eyes filled with nervousness. Sakura caught sight of that and smiled. Knowing that Sasuke was as nervous as her made her feel better. Maybe there was more to the human Popsicle stick than meets the eye. She reached out tentatively and grasped his hand. Drawing nearer to him she leaned forward.

Sasuke's eyes widened, he hated to admit it, but this would be his first kiss. With a girl that is. Everyone seemed to notice, because the entire wedding party, guests and all leaned forward in suspense.

He gave an inward sigh and met Sakura halfway. During the few seconds that their lips were in contact, Sakura felt confused. Wasn't she supposed to feel faint? Excited? Anything? It was well… just a kiss. Not the burning kisses she read about in Romance novels. It was pretty disappointing for her. Then she realized; you can't make a fire without sparks.

She pulled back and gave him a half smile. The guests gave a cheer and threw rice joyfully.

-

-

The reception was about as thrilling as watching your Grandma clip her toe nails. Sakura sat quietly as the others danced. Ino and Temari had a long argument over dancing with Shikamaru. In the end, Ino won.

Hinata waltzed around and made sure that everyone was comfortable. That wasn't too hard. They didn't invite too many people over. The last thing Sakura wanted was to talk to a bunch of rich lords who wanted to discuss future offspring. They all wanted an Uchiha child in their village.

Seated beside Sakura was Sasuke. He sipped on his water while carefully watching the guests. It was pretty boring for both of them, especially since they shared little in common. She tried striking up a conversation but was shot down with a 'hn.' '_Fine,'_ she thought heatedly '_He can sit there all night for all I care.'_

The rest of the evening was uneventful. They didn't even share a dance. They received several gifts including a set of lingerie from Ino. Sakura blushed bright red as she held it up.

Just as they were about to leave, Tsunade announced a surprise week-long trip for the couple to a world famous hot springs resort. They then headed home, and packed.

-

-

Sitting for hours in a 'romantic' carriage with an Uchiha wasn't Sakura's idea of fun. The carriage was a 'Cinderella style' one. Their baggage was conveniently tied to the top, leaving them with plenty of room. The carriage was large and white with a silver sheen. Several fake roses were attached in various areas. All in all it was very cheesy, yet romantic in it's own way.

The first thing Sasuke said when he saw it was. "No."

"I agree with Sasuke-san," Sakura nodded her head at Tsunade "A carriage ride? Across The Land of Fire?"

"It'll be fun." Tsunade reassured them. Yeah right, real fun.

Sasuke spent the whole trip looking out his window. It was nearly midnight when the carriage reached its destination at the resort/hotel.

Once inside, they both dragged their baggage towards the front desk. "Excuse me? Hello?" Sakura called out. An attractive girl with short brown hair walked up behind the desk.

"Hi, Sorry about that." She didn't sound very sorry. She talked while looking at her nails. "How can I help…" she caught sight of Sasuke. Her bored expression was replaced with a stunning smile "you?"

'_Great,'_ Sakura thought angrily '_She stopped talking to her nails to talk to Sasuke. Big improvement.'_

Sasuke gave the girl a 'back off' glare. She seemed unfazed by it as all true fan girls were.

"We'd like a room," Sakura said tiredly "We actually have a reservation here under Uchiha."

The girl, who's nametag read Maiko, glared at Sakura before flipping through her lists. "Oh, you must be the newly married couple." She snapped the last part out "Yeah, the wedding suite. It's on the second floor. Room 247 here are your keys. Enjoy your stay."

During the whole walk up the stairs, Sakura couldn't stop trembling. What was going to happen now? She heard stories about people on their wedding nights, and how they just go… crazy. She gulped. She didn't want to, not yet. Would Sasuke respect that or would he move on with his mission. She remembered how far Sasuke went to fulfill one part of the mission. He'd probably be the same now. Would he force her? She wondered. Would it still be considered rape if they were married?

Her mind raced as Sasuke unlocked the door. Maybe he would just forget about it… the door swung open and the first thing she noticed was sensual music playing on an invisible radio. The bed was large and heart shaped, with two heart shaped pillows. She glanced around the large romantic-themed room. Yeah right, like he could forget with all these reminders.

She dropped her bags beside the bed. "Um, I'm going to get dressed."

Sasuke nodded his head. He was already dressed casually. Sakura slammed the bathroom door behind her. She glanced around, her mouth wide open. The bathroom was even romantically themed. It had an extra large bathtub/shower and heart shaped rugs. Things couldn't get any worse if they tried.

She changed into her night clothes and brushed her hair. "Okay you can do this… just breathe… everything will be fine…"

She swung the door open and approached the bed. Sasuke was standing by the window, looking out at the balcony. He turned towards her and glanced towards the bed. She gulped.

"Sasuke."

"Sakura."

His dark eyes seemed to bore into her. For the first time in a long while, she felt actual fear. "S-Sasuke-san…" her eyes flitted nervously from Sasuke to the bed "I-I'm not ready... not yet."

"Hn." He walked towards the bed and crawled in. He turned his back to her. Sakura blinked in amazement, was that it?

She stared uncertainly at him before glancing around looking for a second bed, couch, floor mat, or anything. "Just get in." his voice broke through her train of thought.

She blushed bright red before crawling onto the bed and curling up as far away from his as possible. An awkward silence stretched across the two of them. She bit her lip, wondering whether to say something or not.

Before she could decide, fatigue racked across her body and she drifted off to sleep.

-

-

Sakura woke up early the next morning. She opened her eyes and momentarily forgot where she was. She caught sight of a lump laying right beside her. She shot right up. '_What did I do?"_ she frantically searched her memories. It all slowly came back to her.

"I'm married." She whispered aloud to herself in disbelief. "My name is Uchiha Sakura now…"

Sasuke turned over and glared sleepily at her. His eyes seemed even darker than before. Sakura then noticed that she rolled over in her sleep and was only a few inches away from the Uchiha. Wait, she couldn't call him that now. She was now an Uchiha. Just like she always wanted. Somehow it didn't feel as magical as she hoped that it would.

"Stupid arranged marriages." She grumbled before crawling out of bed. She headed towards the bathroom and got changed into a blue tank top and pants that Ino gave to her.

She headed toward the door. "Where are you going?" Hearing Sasuke's sleepy voice caused her to freeze.

"Out." Came her cold reply. She inwardly congratulated herself. Now that last night's nervousness was gone she could be rude to him again with no fear. At least until the next night.

He sat up and looked at her impatiently. She sighed, "I was going to get a quick breakfast and head towards the lake." She quickly slipped out the door before he could say anything else.

-

-

The breakfast was brief, a roll and fruit. Afterwards she concentrated her chakra to her feet and ran full speed towards the lake. She made it their in a record of one minute.

The scenery was breathtaking. It was still early in the morning, the first rays of sunlight stretched across the lake. The birds had just begun their morning chorus, the weather was crisp and clear, and the lake was located near a poetic woodlands.

"Perfect for training." Sakura grinned before stepping onto the water. She jogged across it several times, trying different methods of steps. The point of the exercise was to fully perfect her walking on water technique. The exercise was unnecessary, since she was a master of controlling her chakra. Once finished she began walking on the stony pathway that through flower gardens and around the lake.

She walked leisurely, enjoying the feeling of walking without any direct destination.. Her senses suddenly went wild. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the approaching chakra. "Sasuke."

He appeared beside her. "What do you want?" she demanded impatiently, mad that her peaceful time was ruined.

He said nothing, but continued walking down the path along with her. "Sasuke…" she grabbed his arm forcefully "Why are you here?"

He looked down at her. "I was bored."

Sasuke continued walking leaving a shocked Sakura behind. She broke out of her daze and jogged to catch up with him.

That's how they spent their morning, walking numerous laps around the lake. It was an aimless activity, but for the first time in years, they were at peace with each other. If only for a moment.

**Yay! Don't you love barely there fluff? Ah, don't worry things ought to get better… someday. Oh I also wanted to thank Kaoru who was my first critic. Maybe I did go a little far with it; I always use cereal jokes in real life. I will ease up on the real world references though. Thank you for being honest.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry that I took so long to update. It's been two whole days –sobs- I was gonna not update but I know that if I don't do it now I won't be able to until Monday. I have a really really busy schedule. Remember that choir I mentioned? Yeah we're having a concert. Wish me luck, I'm a soprano.

Thanks to all my reviewers! You guys mean the world to me. Yesterday I checked my email and had 84 emails… all of them from saying that I had a review, I was on story alert, or on someone's favorite stories list. One person added me to their fav. Author list. You don't know how happy that made me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Disclaimer: I'm a struggling High school student, why on EARTH would I own Naruto? Seriously, think about it.

The rest of the honeymoon was very… quiet. Each night was an awkward occasion for Sakura, who found her own way to avoid 'that' subject. Besides that, she had an … interesting time. The most exciting thing that happened to her was a trip to the hot springs.

She gave a satisfied sigh; the hot springs were always relaxing. Since this resort was known for its hot springs she knew that the trip would be doubly relaxing. Shouldering her towel, she bravely headed inside.

She quickly stripped off her clothes and slid the wooden door open. The hot, humid air hit her like a hammer. Tying her pink hair into a bun, Sakura lowered herself into the steamy water. A contented sigh slipped past her lips. This was truly bliss.

Sakura slowly let the tensions from the previous days wear off. Her eyelids slowly lowered. This was heavenly. No Konoha. No Tsunade. No Sasuke. Life couldn't get any better.

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of someone slipping into the water. Her jaw dropped.

"S-sasuke?" her voice rose several octaves. Life couldn't get any worse.

He merely glanced at her and gave one of his infamous 'hns' before fully lowering his body into the water.

Swimming to the opposite side of the pool, Sakura grabbed her towel. "What are you doing here?"

He smirked. "The same thing you are."

"What?" she folded her arms underwater "You mean sitting naked in a steamy hot spring?" Sakura shuddered "You really are a pervert."

He gave her a brief glare and then closed his eyes. Sakura stared at him in amazement; he really was an odd one. She wondered if the other Uchiha's were like this. If so, she could hardly blame Itachi for going crazy and killing them.

She sighed and shut her eyes, hoping to relax once more. She found it difficult due to the fact that her husband was across the pool from her in the same state of undress that she was. Half growling half sighing she glared at the Uchiha.

"Isn't this the women's spa?" she asked suspiciously.

"Coed" came his simple reply.

He had her there. Sakura grit her teeth. She did NOT want to be in the same pool as him, especially without a bathing suit. The former her would've destroyed the village and worked for Orochimaru for this kind of opportunity. She smirked at the idea; she really was a desperate little girl.

"Fine, I see how it is." Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Sakura pulled herself up and wrapped a towel around her wet body. "Enjoy your stay." She sneered at him before hopping across the water towards the door.

Sasuke reached out to her. "Sakura, wait!" his hand accidentally snagged her towel. They both stared in shock as he held the towel in disbelief. Sakura gaped.

"YOU PERVERT!" she reached out and dunked his head violently under water. She tried reaching her towel but it had already floated off. Angry, wet, and towel- less, Sakura stormed off leaving a bemused Sasuke.

Slamming the door violently, she leaned against its frame and slowly counted to ten. Before she reached six she heard a strange sound. At first she couldn't decipher what it was, and then it came to her like a slap. Sasuke was… laughing. She closed her eyes and smiled. He had a really pleasant laugh; she wondered why he didn't use it more often. She let out a small giggle and sighed.

She then heard several 'thumps' from inside the room that she was in. She opened her eyes. Several men passed out on the floor suffering from massive nosebleeds.

"Oh crap."

-

-

That evening the village that they were in held a yearly festival, celebrating its anniversary. The festival included games, different specialty items being sold, entertainers, everything.

Sakura stared out the window and sighed. Sasuke would never want to go to something like this, which was why she decided to go on her own. Besides, that stupid chump hadn't shown up since the Hot Springs incident. Why should she wait for him? Growling, she tied her kimono. She had chosen a lavender kimono with a silver flower design embroidered in it.

Tying her hair into a dressy bun, she hurried out the door. Once outside she took a deep breath and smiled. She loved going out on the streets at night. She loved everything about it, the noise, the darkness, the dim glow of lanterns, everything. She spread her arms out in a sign of contentment before strolling towards the center of the festival.

Several small children ran past her, brushing against her Kimono. "Necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings! We have it all!" a vendor called out "Perhaps the lovely lady in lavender would like a necklace to go with her kimono?" Sakura smiled and shook her head.

A cold night breeze caused her to shudder. Besides that the weather was perfect. She walked around for almost an hour when she heard a group of girls here age and younger talking.

"Oh my god!" a pretty blonde cried while fanning herself "Did you SEE him? Wasn't he just to die for?"

The girls broke out into giggles "He is soooo hot!" one declared. "Those sexy brooding looks, those mysterious eyes, that hair, I'm in love!" another cried.

Sakura raised a fine eyebrow. She had a faint idea of who they were talking about. "That good looking, eh?" she asked approaching the group.

Two of the older ones looked at her apprehensively while the others merely nodded. "Who are you?" the blonde demanded.

"Ah," Sakura shrugged carelessly "Just another tourist. Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear you girls talking. So which guy are you ladies talking about?" she offered them a harmless smile.

The blonde still glared but a girl with brown pigtails pointed. "That one! In the cream-colored top and blue pants!"

Sakura caught sight of him and smiled "Oh, the dark haired one?" The others nodded and burst into rapturous giggles. "Hmmm…" Sakura rubbed her chin thoughtfully "He IS cute… have any of you tried to talk to him?"

"Seiko did…" one girl said pointing to the blonde "But he brushed her off and told her to get lost."

The blonde, identified as Seiko merely huffed. "I still think he's interested."

"I don't know," Sakura rubbed her chin some more "He seems kinda… stiff. I see a couple of other good looking guys around here. You girls shouldn't waste your time on him."

"Who asked you?" Seiko exploded " You probably just want him all for yourself! Not like he'd talk to some weird pink-haired girl like you anyway."

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"It's pink, and that forehead…" Sakura's mood went from bemused to angry. No one, besides Ino was allowed to talk about her forehead like that.

"OH REALLY?" Sakura challenged "I bet you' that I'll have a better chance with him than you!"

"I'll take you up on that!" Seiko smirked, while the other girls 'oohed'. Sakura smiled victoriously while smoothing down her hair. "I'll do more than talk to him," Sakura continued "I'll even do as much as kiss and spend the rest of the night with him."

The girls stared at her with wide eyes as she sauntered over towards her target.

-

-

Sasuke was currently looking at a stand that held many types of blades. He smirked; he could always use an extra kunai or something… After purchasing a few extra kunai and one special hand-to-hand combat kunai, he turned away from the stand.

He noticed a group of girls standing several feet away from him. His eyes narrowed, annoying girls. One of them approached him earlier and used a sluttish pick up line on him. He brushed her off with a glare and a 'get lost'. He almost smiled at the memory; nothing made him happier than intimidating people.

Sasuke noticed Sakura emerge from that group and stride towards him determinedly. Her eyes were fierce, she reminded him of a tigress stalking towards its prey.

She gave him a brief smile. That was a surprise; he figured that she'd still be upset from The Hot Springs incident. She surprised him even more by wrapping her arms around his neck and staring lustily at him in the eye.

He had to remind himself to breath. "Sakura?" his voice held question as he stared back into her emerald eyes. This girl never ceased to amaze him. He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"It's the real me." She chuckled at his confusion.

Was it him, or did the temperature rise by a couple hundred degrees? He didn't know whether to stare at her stupidly or push her away. He decided to keep his poker face on and wait for an explanation.

"Do you mind if I stay with you for the rest of the festival?' she asked sweetly. All he was aware of right then, was the feeling of her warm breath across his lips. He nodded, barely hearing the question. She could've been asking to castrate him and he wouldn't have cared.

He quickly snapped out of the daze. He was an Uchiha for God's sake! Not some stupid, hormone driven teenager.

Before he could push her away he felt a slight pressure on his lips. Just as soon as it was there it was gone. He slowly went over that moment. She had just pecked him on the lips.

"Sakura?"

"Hmm?" she asked through half lidded eyes. Inwardly she was cackling up a storm.

"Have you been drinking?"

Her eyes shot open "What kind of question is that?" she pulled away from him and tugged his arm playfully "Come on, they've got a lotta good wares for sale."

Seiko and her group of girls stared with their mouths wide open as Sakura led the mysterious hottie away.

Sakura gave them a grin before turning her attention to Sasuke. "I'll have you know," she murmured "That I did that only because of a bet with those girls."

"Hn."

She gave him her most beautiful smile. "So don't worry, I still hate you."

He mutely nodded. Of course, he knew that Sakura wouldn't do stuff like that arbitrarily. Still, it was a nice thought.

-

-

The rest of their vacation/honeymoon went by quickly. Most of Sakura's time was spent at the hot springs or walking around town, whereas Sasuke preferred to train in a nearby forest. 'That subject' wasn't brought up again. One evening Sakura had decided to try on Ino's gift, merely because it was there. Besides, Sasuke wasn't there to see so who'd care?

While admiring the piece in the mirror, Sasuke walked in on her. He merely 'hnned' with his cheeks tinged pink and left the room. Blushing bright red, she shoved it into the bottom of the suitcase, vowing never to pull it out again.

Sakura almost dreading the leaving day, but she knew it must come. She sighed quietly as she tidied up the room and packed the rest of her cosmetics. The carriage would come any minute and whisk them away to Konoha. Things would go back to normal, _'Except for this.'_ She eyed the golden band on her finger which held the Uchiha symbol. That would never go away.

Sasuke finished packing from his side of the room and then approached her. "You ready?" he asked, those being his first words to her in hours.

She nodded sullenly. Even though it was overly romantic, she knew she'd miss the room. She looked around one last time before following him out of the room and locking it forever. As Sasuke turned in their key, she sadly anticipated the carriage ride ahead.

-

-

"I can't believe it." Sasuke frowned. If she complained one more time, he would kill her. "What kind of moron are you anyway?" her voice from behind him said.

He kept his back facing her. He wouldn't answer her, even though he was sharing similar emotions. Earlier he had turned down the carriage ride after seeing a red heart-shaped carriage pull up. Curse his pride, now they were lugging their bags around in the middle of the rain. To top it all, Sakura wouldn't stop insulting him.

"It was just a stupid heart-shaped carriage! You and your stupid pride… I can't believe that-" he instantly blocked her out as he continued forward.

Going through the trees proved to be difficult, but not impossible. After slipping on wet branches a couple of times Sakura got the hang of it and kept an even pace with him. Most of the time. He usually pulled ahead to avoid hearing her nagging voice. He couldn't blame her though; they were in a pretty stupid predicament. They had been traveling for four hours now in pouring rain. Things couldn't get worse if it tried.

"-and are you even listening to me?" she asked landing on the branch beside him.

He gave her his infamous glare "No."

"Well START LISTENING THEN!" she stamped her foot angrily. Unfortunately the branch was wet, causing her to slip. He lunged forward and caught her arm with his semi-free hand.

"Thanks…" she said softly as he helped her gain her balance. "I still think you're an idiot though."

Sasuke smirked at nothing in particular before jumping ahead. "Let's move. Konoha's not that far away."

"Really? Thank goodness." Sakura sighed in relief.

He almost said the same thing. This girl had just wasted up every ounce of his sanity. He couldn't take much more.

-

-

The gates of Konoha soon came into view, much to the unhappy couple's relief. The rain had surprisingly cleared up by the time they reached it. Two ninja at the gate quickly blocked them from entering.

"Identity please." One said.

Sasuke glared at the man and activated his Sharingan. "O-oh…" the man began trembling "I-I didn't k-kn-know, p-please e-e-enter in Uchiha-san."

Smirking Sasuke brushed past the man. Sometimes he loved his life. He glanced back at Sakura who was giving the guard an apologetic smile. The man instantly brightened and gave her a friendly greeting.

'_Whatever.'_ While walking through the village, Sasuke soon realized that Sakura made small talk with almost everyone she met with. At first it was alright, and then it grew to be downright annoying. Sasuke glared as she talked with yet another old lady outside of the tea shop.

"Sakura." Sakura and the old lady looked up. "Move it, I'm not going to wait for you."

"Fine, I didn't ask you to." She stuck her tongue out at him childishly "Go ahead, I'll catch up with you later."

"No my child," the old lady said "Go on with your husband, I wish you the best of luck with your marriage."

Sakura smiled "Thank you, we'll need it." She mumbled the last part as she joined her brooding husband.

-

-

Sakura stared in amazement at her future home. Most of the Uchiha compound had been torn down save for the manor. "It's huge." She breathed out staring at the impressive structure "You live here, by yourself?"

"Not anymore."

"Grump."

"Hn."

He unlocked the door, swung it open to reveal… "Sasuke?" Sakura blinked in amazement "Did you do this?"

"No." he seethed.

Inside, everything had been decorated red or pink and a large banner hung across the ceiling reading 'The Love Nest.'

Sasuke approached a note left on the counter. "Welcome home lovebirds, signed Ramen King and Flower girl." He crumpled the note.

"Naruto and Ino…" Sakura plopped down on a couch "Those guys." She let out a small chuckle.

"I'm glad you find this amusing." Sasuke snapped before dropping her bags "You can take whatever spare room you please. Just stay out of my way."

Sakura glared up at him "You sound the same way you did when we took the Genin exam." She leaned back comfortably "Always thinking you can do things on your own… and in the end you'd screw things up."

He ignored her and headed upstairs.

"YOU DID THAT TOO!" she yelled up after him. She ran a hand through her fingers "Jerk."

-

(Author's Notes) Okay that was a little shorter than usual. But I had to get a chapter in, I'll try to update by tomorrow. I'm not sure though. If you like this story, PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey me again, I wasn't gonna update till Friday buuuut I love you guys so much, I'm gonna update now. Before I begin, I want to give a special thanks to ALL of my reviewers. Unfortunately I can only name a few, because I don't wanna take up your time.

_Not so sweet dream: Thank you soooo much! You were my first reviewer, which means an awful lot to me. You rock and always will._

_**Les-liaisons-dangereuses: You were my second reviewer; it was you and the first reviewer that motivated me to continue with my story. Without those first two reviews, I probably would have quitted. –wipes tear away- Thank you!**_

_**Anbu Inu: My most supportive reviewer, thank you so very much. For some reason all of your reviews make me grin like mad. See? Now I'm grinning again!**_

_**Kaoru: My anonymous reviewer and critic, quadruple thanks for being honest. **_

_**Weirdoqueen1992: You gave me the idea for adding a little NaruSaku. Speaking of which, there'll be some in this chapter. Thank you too!**_

_**Emma0707: Also one of my most supportive reviewers, thank you so very much.**_

_**Maymay08: Thank you!!!! –Waves and grins like mad-**_

_**Akiismarina: That one review you sent made me grin all during dinner. My Mom kept on asking me if something was wrong. Thanks a ton!**_

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_**Kurenai Chinoumi: Well you only gave me one review –death glares- , sike thank you so much for your encouragement. Little stuff like that makes me happy.**_

_**Waveblader213: Yeah you're right, so I'll try to add more from Sasuke's thoughts. I thought I was o.0 but I guess not. Thank you! Critics make me grin.**_

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_**Avatard64: Thanks! –Grins like a moron- I'm really glad that some one, er persons really like this story. **_

_**Mistyjet: Thank you too! –dances around house like a moron- **_

_**Animelover006: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!**_

_**Sakura9898: Merci. (Thanks) –waves-**_

_**Jami16: Wow and I thought I sucked at humor… thanks!**_

_**-**_

_**-**_

_**Okay I think that's it! On with the story!!!!**_

_**Disclaimer: We all know the drill.**_

_**-**_

_**-**_

Uchiha Sasuke was not a very sociable person. Therefore, it stands to reason that he wouldn't feel very talkative. He thought it made perfect sense. Somehow, his wife didn't.

"So I was thinking that maybe I should go shopping tomorrow," she babbled on "Of course you'll have to provide me with the money, now that you're supposed to be the 'man of the house'." Sasuke gritted his teeth at her use of quotation marks. "That way I can use my money to buy stuff for, well, me. I mean that should make up for being stuck with such a prick like you. Don't you think?"

He gripped his chopsticks so hard that they snapped in half. Sakura sighed "That's the fourth pair of chopsticks tonight. What's your problem?"

He slammed his hands on the table and walked off leaving a smirking Sakura. She reached towards his untouched plate of food. "Can't let this go to waste can we?"

-

-

That night, Sasuke slept fitfully. His mind raced with images of the Uchiha clan murder, then it flashed to his time with Orochimaru. He cried out, thrashing his arms wildly.

Sakura heard him from the spare bedroom and raced towards his room. "Sasuke?" she asked flicking on the light switch. He yelled out something unintelligible before thrashing some more. "Sasuke! Wake up!" she shook him roughly.

His bloodshot eyes shot open "Sakura?" he asked weakly.

She nodded mutely. "Y-yeah, it's me. You were having a bad dream."

"Sakura…" he closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep. She stared at his sleeping form for a few minutes until she heard his calm breathing. "Good." She tiptoed out the room.

Once inside her bedroom she collapsed on her bed. Her green eyes were wide "What's wrong with him?" she whispered before slowly letting sleep claim her.

-

-

Sasuke had no memory of the previous night. He got out of bed and headed downstairs, fully planning to slap together a quick but healthy breakfast before heading towards the Hokage's office. He nearly ran into Sakura who was fixing a breakfast of eggs and sliced fruit.

She stopped mid-apple to look up at him in surprise. "Sasuke!"

He continued to stare at her sleepily.

"Um," she glanced to the side nervously "How did you sleep last night?"

That was the big question? He grabbed his plate before seating himself at his small table. She had to have some hidden reasoning, but until then he decided to give her a vague answer. "Fine."

"O-okay…" she pulled up a chair across the table from him. Sasuke noticed that the pink-haired girl, correction, young woman was eyeing him strangely as she ate.

"What?" he asked impatiently.

She looked surprised, "Nothing!"

He glared before returning to his fruit. No other words were shared between them that morning.

-

-

"So Sakura how was your honeymoon?"

"Yeah! Tell us all about it!"

"W-was the h-hot spring t-to your li-liking?"

"C'mon! I came all the way from Suna to hear this one!"

"Shizune! Get me another sake! I need to hear this!"

"-Sigh- fine…"

"Oink!"

Sakura turned to run from the small crowd of questioning women but was cut off by a mischievous looking Ino. "Ah, ah, ah!" she wagged a finger under her nose "Not until you tell us all about it!"

Sakura gulped. She was currently trapped inside the Hokage's office, with her questioning friends all demanding details about her 'romantic' honeymoon. She sent a pleading glance towards Hinata, who only smiled and shook her head.

"Alright!" she yelled causing Ino, Tenten, Temari, and Tsunade to high-five each other. "Could you at least let me sit down?"

"Here," Tsunade offered, "You can sit on top of my desk. Just as long as you don't sit on that scroll over there."

Sakura nodded and muttered a brief thanks before accepting the invitation. She seated herself and began swinging her legs leisurely.

"WELL?!?" her friends yelled impatiently, Sakura just grinned.

"It was… nice."

"NICE! THAT'S IT!!!"

Sakura covered her ears. "You guys sure are loud…"

Temari grabbed Sakura by the shoulders "Just tell us already!"

Sakura brushed her friend off. "Geez you're bossy. I can't believe Gaara let you stay just to hear about my honeymoon."

"He was curious too." Temari grinned, "That and he went to see a specialist."

"What for?"

"Well apparently he keeps on hearing things. It's not the Shukaku's voice either, it's some female."

"… Oh…"

"ENOUGH ALREADY!" Ino stamped her feet like a spoiled child. "Did you get to try on my gift?" she grinned with a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes.

Sakura paused, she thought about the time when she tried it on and Sasuke walked in on her. That had been on her top ten list of embarrassing moments. She blushed at the thought of it. "Y-yeah…" It wasn't lying right? She really did try it on. Just not the way Ino thought she did.

Ino squealed and hugged Tenten who shoved the blonde off her back. "Did you guys talk much?" Tenten asked while glaring at Ino.

"Depends on what Sasuke's version of talk is."

"D-did you li-like the hot sp-spring?" Hinata blushed as everyone strained to hear her tiny little voice.

Sakura smiled kindly at her shy friend. "Yeah, I heard it was partly your idea. The location and everything was perfect. I got a lot of relaxing time in."

"I bet she did more than relax." Ino waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Temari and Tsunade burst out laughing.

"Well…" Sakura scratched her head in a Naruto-like gesture. "I did go shopping."

Tsunade wiped sake droplets from off her mouth. "I heard that a lot of gambling goes on downtown. Did you check it out?"

"You know I don't gamble!" Sakura pointed out. She sighed at her teacher and friend's actions.

"Is that all you guys wanted to know?"

Temari grinned "Not even half of it. But I guess that'll have to do."

-

-

The rest of the day was the same for Sakura. Random strangers asked her about her honeymoon, Jiraiya asked for details so he could add it in his new book, fan girls glared, single guys cried, and life went on.

"TRAINING AT THE BRIDGE!" Naruto yelled while running past her.

"What? Training? With who?"

Naruto paused and turned around, the usual fox grin on his face. "With Kakashi-sensei of course!"

"B-but we're all Anbu…"

"So?" he folded his arms behind his head "We'll always be Team Seven, you should know that."

Sakura grinned before running after the blonde. '_Naruto-kun…'_

_-_

_-_

Training actually turned out to be Kakashi's way of getting the team back together. Of course he wouldn't admit that. "I was bored."

"YOU CALLED US OUT HERE BECAUSE YOU WERE BORED?!?" Sakura and Naruto both yelled, causing Sasuke to wince. His eardrums were taking all they could manage.

"Yeah, what's the problem?" he shrugged casually. "Well, start doing whatever you usually do. I'll monitor your practice."

"You mean you'll read that nasty book of yours." Naruto mumbled. Sakura nodded her head in agreement and Sasuke was… well being Sasuke.

He felt that he didn't have time to waste. "Fine, Naruto let's fight."

Naruto blinked in surprise. A slow smile spread across his face. "You mean it?" his voice was eager, like that of a child's. Sakura smiled to herself.

Sasuke didn't say anything, but merely turned and headed towards the center of the practice field, leaving an excited Naruto behind. He pumped a fist into the air "YEAH! Come on Sakura-Chan! Watch me kick Sasuke's sorry butt!"

Sakura covered her mouth as she giggled. "I don't know, he's pretty strong."

"I'm strong too! Believe I-" He was cut off by Sakura dragging him by the ear "Yeah, yeah I believe it. Now let's go, before Sasuke-san changes his mind."

They soon caught up with Sasuke, who was watching them impatiently, a scowl fixed on his face. "Finally."

Naruto pulled away from Sakura and began doing a few stretches. He stood straight up once he as finished. "Hey Sakura-Chan?"

Sakura pulled her gaze away from her brooding husband. "Yes?"

He blushed "C-could you maybe cheer for me? It really helps me out."

Her eyes widened, cheer for Naruto instead of Sasuke? She smiled brightly "Of course, after all you helped me out in our first Chuunin exam, remember?"

He returned her smile with a brilliant one of his own. That moment, it was only her and him. Sasuke watched them with faint interest. '_Whatever.' _"Hurry up dobe."

Naruto turned and glared at Sasuke "Stop calling me that!" he snarled. Sasuke was taken by surprise, something about his response was harsher than what he expected. Usually they would exchange play-insults and get to the fight. This time, Naruto was facing him with his fists clenched and his eyes feral-looking.

"Good luck Naruto." Sakura whispered, patting his shoulder before going to stand on the sidelines. She shuddered; she hoped that Naruto wasn't taking things too seriously.

Naruto ignored her and faced his opponent. "Get ready…" he growled. Sasuke nodded before taking a fighting stance. Fine, he could get serious too.

-

-

Sakura flinched as Naruto took another blow to the gut. The fight was more serious than she imagined. They were no longer playing around, there was nothing good-natured about this fight. "Come on Naruto!" she yelled punching the air "Don't let him knock you around like that!"

Naruto's blue eyes turned to her and he nodded. He dodged another blow from Sasuke and returned with a hit of his own. He punched Sasuke right in the chest, sending his teammate flying back several feet. Gathering chakra to his feet, Sasuke prevented himself from landing face first on the grass.

His Sharingan eyes opened in surprise as Naruto appeared in front of him with his fist drawn back. Sasuke smirked and dodged the blow, appeared right behind Naruto, and pinned his arms behind his back.

"Let go!" Naruto yelled, struggling fiercely. Sasuke smirked from behind his friend. "Make me."

Naruto bucked wildly, but Sasuke's grip was strong. He managed to half-turn his head and glare at his friend "I hate you so much right now."

Sasuke's gave a half-crazed smile "Why? Because I have something that you've always wanted?" his voice dropped to a whisper "Give it up Naruto, you may become Hokage but you will never have her. Don't worry," he chucked "We might even name one of our kids after you."

Naruto gave a demonic cry before flipping Sasuke off him. He attacked viciously, clawing, punching, biting all previous rules forgotten.

"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled, throwing his book aside "Enough!"

Sasuke retaliated with wild blows of his own. Both boys locked in a mad frenzy. "STOP!" Sakura cried desperately "You'll kill him!" she wasn't sure who she was referring to. Without a second thought, she dived into the fray and yanked Sasuke by the collar, sending both of them flying backwards with Sasuke landing on top of her.

Naruto turned to the two, his eyes a red matching Sasuke's Sharingan "Sasuke…"

Kakashi quickly pinned his student on the ground before.

"I said enough."

-

-

Sitting inside the hospital and listening to Tsunade and Sakura take turns yelling at them, wasn't Sasuke's idea of fun. Then again, he had a weird idea of what was fun.

He folded his arms angrily, it wasn't his fault. He hadn't expected for the fox-boy to go wild on him. Speaking of the demon, he chuckled dryly.

Naruto pouted as Sakura smacked him around some more before continuing the use of her healing jutsu. "What made you do that anyway?"

Naruto looked away "Nothing, he just said something that's all."

Sakura put her hands on her hips and glared down at her friend. "And what exactly did he say?"

She noticed that Naruto's gaze was fixated on Sasuke. Sasuke turned and smirked smugly before 'listening' to Tsunade continue her lecture.

"… It was nothing…"

Her gaze softened, "Naruto… you really had me worried."

"Don't. No one asked you to." He got up and walked away, leaving Sakura alone with her teacher and teammate.

Tsunade gave an exasperated sigh and threw her hands in the air. "Sakura, you handle this idiot!" she stormed out the room, shoving people as she went.

Sakura sighed. She slowly approached Sasuke's hospital bed. Because of the fox, Naruto's wounds healed a lot faster. Sasuke's would take about a day or so.

"What'd you say this time?" she asked tiredly. He turned his gaze to her.

"I called her an annoying old hag."

Sakura shook her head "No, I mean to Naruto-kun. He usually doesn't get that mad unless it's something serious."

Sasuke gave a grunt before leaning back on his bed and closing his eyes. He didn't want to talk anymore; he had enough lectures for one day. Unfortunately, Sakura was persistent.

She placed one hand on the other side of his head and leaned forward. He hoped that no one would walk in, their position was very suggestive.

"Sasuke…" she said softly. He tried to deny it, but his heart skipped a beat at the way she said his name. "What did you do to Naruto?"

He glared. Back to Naruto was it? He looked towards the window, trying his hardest to ignore the gorgeous girl above him. "I gave him a dose of reality. That's all."

She smiled uncertainly "Thanks, that's all I needed to know." She pulled herself up, much to his disappointment. "Try to get some rest okay?" she softly touched his forehead before leaving the room.

He watched her leave and smirked. There was definitely no way that Naruto would get that girl. She was HIS now.

-

**Okay, a little weird but I hope you liked it. I know, I suck at action scenes but this chapter needed it. Please REVIEW!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

Ch8, wow I didn't think I'd make it this far. I'm very tired so this chapter will be… um different. Thank you for all the reviews, I really appreciate them. If you read this story and like it in any way, please review. Oh yeah, if you don't like it please let me know where I can improve. No flames. All flamers can make like a mosquito and bite me.

Oh to all of those who believe I'm taking too long in writing Er, SasuSaku moments. I want this to be a slow process. Love takes a while; it's not a sudden burst of attraction. Thank you. I love all of my reviewers.

Disclaimer: The only money I have right now is a 10 dollar bill, and the only thing I can draw is animals. Why on earth would I own Naruto?

-

-

Standing at attention in the Hokage's office, Sakura allowed her sea green eyes to sweep over the small gathering. Beside herself Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, Hinata, Tenten, Kiba, and an anbu named Shinji were standing in their anbu uniforms awaiting the Hokage's orders.

Tsunade whipped out two identical scrolls and tossed them casually to Neji and Sakura. "Anbu Captain Hyuga Neji, you are in charge of squad A. Anbu captain Haruno Sakura, I mean, Uchiha Sakura you are in charge of squad B. Both of you are to track down a missing scroll. All the information you need is inside the scrolls you are holding. You are to leave as soon as possible. That is all, dismissed!"

The eight shinobi walked out of the office, each curious about the mission. Sakura opened her scroll and read to herself while fending off a curious Naruto and Kiba. Neji on the meanwhile was glaring at Sasuke while pushing Tenten away. Unfortunately his demure cousin took that opportunity to pluck the scroll out of his hand. Tenten gave her friend an enthusiastic high-five.

"So, if things go okay we'll be out for four days?" she asked aloud, oblivious to her boyfriend's anger.

Sakura nodded while Neji snatched the scroll with a threatening glare. "Yes," he snarled "And you will be on your best behavior."

"Which includes?"

"Not stealing scrolls from your anbu captain!" His gray eyes bored into her unimpressed brown ones. She shrugged.

"Whatever… so who's on whose team?"

"I'm with Naruto-kun, Hinata-Chan, and Sasuke." Sakura said, "So that leaves You, Neji, Kiba. And Shinji." She gave a small smile "Looks like my team is backup."

"Neh, Sakura-Chan…" Naruto scratched his head uncertainly "What exactly are we supposed to do?"

Sakura turned her green eyes towards her confused friend. "We're basically supposed to track down a group of A-rank rogue ninja and retrieve a special scroll that was stolen from the Mizukage. These Ninja specialize in water-based jutsu. Neji's team is to go ahead and cut them off, while we stay as backup. It's a basic ambush, Squad A speads a head and cuts them off, and we come in from the back and sidelines."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding. Sasuke eyed her doubtfully. "Whatever."

Neji glared at the arrogant Uchiha, but chose to say nothing. He still had his doubts about the marriage. He would've preferred if Sakura were arranged to marry Naruto, Lee, Shino, even himself! Anyone but that Uchiha. Sasuke met his gaze with a glare of his own, before turning his head to the side.

Hinata noted the interaction and immediately spoke up. "W-when should w-we me-meet up?"

Her cousin nodded "I want Squad A to meet me at the gate in exactly one hour."

"Squad B. Same for you." Sakura joined in strictly. Their teams nodded and immediately vanished. She glanced at Neji before 'poofing' away.

-

-

Things at the house were tense. It had been two days since Sasuke had been let out of the hospital. During the time he was hospitalized, Sakura took advantage of the emptiness of the house to rearrange things.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the bouquet of flowers that graced his kitchen table. They were definitely courtesy of Ino. He frowned he hated flowers.

He began rummaging through the cabinets in search of food. "Sasuke!" He paused at the sound of his wife's voice. "Watch out for the flour jar! It's kind of round and has a loose top!"

"… Whatever…" He really didn't care. He swung a cabinet door open only to hear a 'clang'. Then everything went white.

-

-

Sakura was letting Naruto inside the house when she heard a loud clanging noise come from inside the kitchen. She raced over to see…

"IT'S THE GREAT WHITE!" Naruto pointed a finger at his ghostly looking friend.

Sure enough, Sasuke was covered from head to toe in flour. His dark eyes shone from under the powdery substance.

Sakura's eyes widened "Oh my god!" she laughed, clutching her sides. Naruto joined in her laughter, while Sasuke attempted to glare at them. Unfortunately, he didn't create a very imposing figure. His anger only made them laugh harder.

"Hn." The flour on his face poofed up into a cloud, causing his friends to fall out on the floor with laughter.

"S-sa-sas-!" Sakura struggled to talk.

"Whatever," flour fell off his mouth "I'm taking a shower."

"Sasuke! Wait!" Sakura cried through her laughter "Make sure it's a cold shower! Otherwise you'll look like a walking donut." Naruto had to support her as she burst into giggles.

-

-

An hour later, they stood outside the gates of Konoha. Sasuke glared viciously at his teammates as they giggled some more. Come on, the joke was old like an hour ago. Hinata blinked at their antics.

Squad A eyed them strangely. "I wonder what's with them?" Tenten asked aloud. Shinji, a young man with short gray hair and stunning blue eyes merely shrugged.

"I have no idea."

Sasuke folded his arms moodily. They could laugh all night for all he cared. As long as he got in on the action later on. He raised an eyebrow as Sakura approached him, obviously trying to fight her giggles.

"Here," she spoke softly while reaching a hand towards his face "You have a little flour right here."

Her thumb gently brushed his chin. He instantly forgot his reason for being mad at her. It was strange how she had that kind of effect on everyone she met. Something about the innocence in her eyes, and her stunning beauty made her a person hard to stay mad at.

He stared into her emerald green eyes before shrugging.

"Hn. Thanks."

She smiled apologetically before turning to talk with the shy Hyuga. Shinji gave him a brief smirk before turning to Neji who began clearing his throat.

"Squad A, move out."

Sakura paused in mid-conversation. She nodded towards her team. "Squad B, you know the drill."

Naruto grinned in anticipation. He had waited too long for a good mission. "Yeah!" he cried while enthusiastically pumping his fist into the air. "Let's do it!"

Hinata blushed and smiled at her crush. "L-let's do o-our be-best."

-

-

One day had passed, and the weather was as awful as ever. It rained for the whole time they traveled, making their traveling conditions absolutely miserable.

"Neji… can we take a break?" Tenten called from several feet behind him.

The Hyuga activated his Byakugan, he spotted a sheltered area about several meters ahead. His girlfriend glared at him from behind. He smirked; she thought he couldn't see her. "Shinji, go to Sakura and tell her that we're stopping ahead."

The silver-haired shinobi nodded before falling back. Tenten smiled "Thank you Neji-kun!"

He glanced at the girl behind him. "It wasn't for you, we needed a break anyway. You just chose to whine at the right time." Tenten pouted from behind him, but said nothing more.

Kiba looked between both brunettes before shrugging at Akamaru. "Man, if I ever talk to my girlfriend like that, just kill me."

Akamaru yipped eagerly.

"Shinji-san is coming into view!" Hinata called to her pink-haired friend. Sakura's face was unrecognizable from behind her feline mask, but the Hyuga could tell that she was frowning contemplatively. She smiled, no matter what happened Sakura's mind would never stop racing. She knew now that Sakura was trying to figure out why he would stop.

"Sakura." Shinji called as the girl stopped on the branch beside him. The rest of her team came to a pause.

"What is it?" she asked the blue eyed sword master.

He bowed respectfully. A signature trait of his, he bowed to almost everything ranging from daimyo's to kittens. "Captain Neji says that we're stopping. I believe he spotted-"

"A shelter!" Hinata breathed out eagerly "Yes, I see it!"

Sakura smiled from behind her mask. "Thank you, carry on."

"YES!" Naruto bellowed "Finally! I've been craving that instant ramen in my bag all day long!"

Sasuke folded his arms "You don't have to be so loud. Dobe." He remarked before going on ahead.

"Hey!"

Hinata giggled lightly before following the stoic Uchiha's suit.

-

-

"Come on! Light already!" Sakura struck a match for the fifteenth time that evening. Her match box wasn't wrapped carefully enough. The rain had managed to seep through her bag and dampen them.

Neji sighed from his corner in the already cramped cave. "Give up." He shook his head "Even if you could light that match, it'd take a miracle to burn all this wet wood."

Sakura glared indignantly at him before striking the match again. The pathetic piece of wood snapped in half under enormous pressure. "AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!"

She jumped up and down on the pile of useless matches. Sasuke sighed before coming up behind her. "Let me try." His cool voice caused her to freeze. She nodded mutely as his hands pulled her aside.

He performed the tiger seal 'Fire style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

The group of anbu shielded themselves as the searing heat filled the room. It quickly dissipated and was replaced by the friendly warmth of a controlled fire. They opened their eyes and saw that the pile of wet wood was now a warm blaze.

"Wow." Tenten piped up "Cool."

Sakura glanced at him. "Good job."

He seated himself on the ground near the warmth of the fire. "Okay…" Sakura folded her arms "Tenten, Hinata, and Naruto. I'm placing you three on cooking duty."

The trio nodded their heads earnestly. "Yes ma'am."

"Neji are you going to stand guard?" she placed her hands behind her back in an innocent gesture. The Hyuga glanced at her and nodded.

"Good, Sasuke you can replace him afterwards. Shinji, find out our location." She threw a pile of maps at him carelessly.

"What will you do?" she raised her eyes to meet her husband's challenging glare.

She shrugged "I think I'll take a nap."

Naruto and Tenten fell over in shock. "A NAP?"

She shrugged once more "Yeah, what's wrong with that?' she asked innocently.

"We're working our butts off and you're going to take a nap!?!"

"So?"

Hinata blinked twice before nodding in understanding, her mouth formed a small 'o'. She leaned over towards Tenten. "Please, don't be hard on her." She pleaded softly "I think she's… pregnant." The last word was whispered but it rang across the room.

Sasuke jumped up and nearly tripped over his bag. Neji turned around sharply. Kiba choked on his piece of jerky, causing Akamaru to whimper in worry. Naruto dropped a small pan on his foot and began jumping up and down while clutching his hurt toe. Tenten's jaw dropped. Shinji dropped a map into the fire. Sakura's eyes went wide.

"PREGNANT?!?" they all shouted in unison.

Hinata meekly nodded her head.

"Nuh, uh!" Sakura shook her head violently "There is no way on earth that I'm pregnant!"

"W-why not??" Hinata blushed while poking her fingers together. "You're ti-tired, cranky, moody, and request naps at odd intervals. Th-that's how my mo-mother was when she wa-was pregnant with Hanabi. A-also…" she continued now that she had an audience "Y-you did say th-that you tr-tried on I-Ino-Chan's gift…"

Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "SHE WHAT?" His yells rang throughout the silent forest, disrupting a flock of birds.

"Yup!" Tenten grinned broadly while dusting herself off. "It's official. Sakura is pregnant!"

"N-no I'm not!" Sakura waved her hands defensively "Sasuke knows the truth? I'm not pregnant am I Sasuke?"

Sasuke gave an amused smirk "I don't know."'

"SASUKE!" Sakura yelled angrily. She looked around for a weapon. The closest thing was Tenten's pillow; she swung it violently at the Uchiha's face. He ducked her blow but was met with a heavy kick to the face. He rubbed his sore face before dodging another one of her violent attacks.

Neji tackled Sakura, pinning her to the floor while Hinata and Tenten nodded their heads wisely. "Definitely pregnant."

Shinji watched all of the proceedings with an amused grin on his face. He shook his head before turning to Naruto, who was glaring his hatred at Sasuke. Sasuke seemed to sense his glare; he turned and gave an arrogant smirk. "Should I name him Naruto?" He asked quietly so only Naruto could hear. Unfortunately Shinji could hear too.

"Sasuke!" Shinji snapped, causing everyone to go silent. "Enough!"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders before turning around. Sakura blinked. "Uh, thanks Shinji-san…" She wondered why Shinji was so offended.

The group fell into an angry silence. Sakura was mad at Sasuke. Tenten was mad at Sakura for not telling her. Naruto was mad at Sasuke for being a jerk. Shinji was mad at Sasuke for being a jerk. Kiba was mad at Neji for being such a stiff captain. Neji was mad at Hinata for causing such a fuss. Hinata was mad that no one started dinner yet.

The rest of the evening went by in silence. Sakura then refused to take a nap, so she stood guard for the majority of the night.

-

-

That night, Sasuke had nightmares again. His subconscious kept him from shouting out but Sakura could still sense his pain. She watched sadly as her husband tossed and turned. His lips moved but no sound came out of them. She sighed before slowly walking across the cave towards him.

She gently touched his shoulder "S-sasuke?"

He made a soft noise. It took Sakura a moment to figure out what it was. It was a painful whimper. She sighed. "Sasuke? It's me…"

His body grew relaxed "Sa-ku-ra…"

She smiled as he drifted off into a peaceful slumber. "Sasuke…" she stroked his raven hair softly. Her green eyes closed slowly as she fell asleep.

-

-

That morning Sakura awoke to the sound of Naruto making gagging noises, Hinata giggling, Shinji saying something along the lines of 'Go Sasuke', and Tenten squealing "AWWWW!!!".

She grumbled a little. Why were they being so loud? She was comfortable, and warm…excessively warm. Her bed slowly shifted and exhaled slowly. Her green eyes shot open. Beds aren't supposed to move.

She glanced down to see Sasuke under her. Her cheeks turned red at her current position. Sasuke was lying on his back with one arm on the side. She was lying on top of him with one cheeks and her left hand resting on his broad chest. Sasuke's other arm was draped carelessly over her lower back.

"A-ah…" she breathed out in shock. She carefully pushed herself up so that she was lingering over his body.

"Sakura." Her eyes widened as she gazed into his onyx orbs.

"S-sasuke…" She cursed herself, since when did she stutter like Hinata? His black hair was slightly ruffled and his expression was sleepy. His dark eyes were wide and slightly misted from sleep, giving him an innocent expression. She detected a faint hint of pink on both his cheeks. In that current state he looked almost… _'Cute' _she thought with a small blush.

She attempted to look elsewhere but continued to meet his steady gaze. "Sakura," he said once more. His voice heavy with sleep. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it and stared at her instead.

Neji took that time to break the awkward silence "Okay, if you two lovebirds don't mind. I need Anbu Captain Haru-I mean Uchiha over here immediately."

Sakura pushed herself off her husband, her cheeks bright pink. "Y-yes of course." She jumped up readily to meet the Hyuga.

"What's up?" she asked sleepily. She gave a small yawn before smoothing her messy pink hair down.

Neji smirked at her "I just wanted to pull you out of an awkward predicament."

She stared at her strange friend in amazement. A slow smile spread across her pretty face. "Neji…" she reached up and ruffled his hair fondly. "Thanks."

As she then joined the rest of the team for breakfast. Sasuke's stoic mask was slipped back on as he stared emotionlessly at his team. Sakura suppressed a sigh, it was back to being a stiff again. The rest of breakfast was peaceful until Tenten suddenly asked, "So you ARE pregnant?"

-End Chapter-

This chapter was supposed to be mainly focused on the mission and of course Sasuke and Sakura's strange relationship. I just hope that I did a good job. Please, if you are reading this, please review. Thanks in advance.

I'm setting standards here. I won't update until I get oh, 60 reviews. Maybe I'll boost it up to 65. Please and thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

OMG!!! I got 70 reviews!!! Yay I'm soooo happy! –Grins- I really can't believe it, I thought I'd get maybe 63 and then I'd consent, but 70? Thank you! Thanks so very much! I can't stop grinning… my cat must think I'm demented.

Okay on to chapter 9! I need an opinion though. I was thinking of working on another fic while doing this one so… I was stuck between two ideas. One was an AU SasuHina fic while the other an AU InoXwhoever fic. I have no idea and I'm stuck. HELP!

Disclaimer: I own Itachi! He is mine! All mine! Bwahahahaha!!! –runs from angry lawyers-

-

-

Tenten eyed the pitiful group behind her and sighed. The mission was a success… sort of. They had managed to successfully track down the group of rogue ninja and engaged in battle with them. During the battle, Sakura was caught off guard by an enemy attack. Before she could be impaled from the side both Naruto and Sasuke leapt to her rescue. They both hit the shinobi and ran right into each other, knocking themselves out. Both men were unconscious for an hour.

Once they were conscious Sakura gave them the scolding of their lives. Now they were currently headed towards Konoha, and a more pitiful group had never been seen. Tenten sighed once more as Sakura lectured from behind her.

Sasuke listened to the lecture half-heartedly. He felt embarrassed about running into Naruto like that. However, Sakura was saved and so was he. As much as he disliked the pink-haired girl, he couldn't imagine being married to someone else. Sasuke knew that if Sakura hadn't have come along, he would've been married to some daimyo's daughter. He shuddered at the thought.

"-you guys are completely-" he blocked her out once more. It didn't look like she was letting up any time soon.

Kiba watched the proceedings with interest. "Akamaru?" he said softly to his dog who ran along side him.

"Arf?"

He glanced at Naruto "I think we have a love triangle situation here. We'd better inform Ino."

"Arf!"

-

-

"THEY WHAT?!?"

"Shhhh… keep it down Ino…" Kiba waved a hand in warning "We don't want gossip spreading."

"So what do you think you're doing?" she folded her arms while eyeing him doubtfully. Shikamaru, who sat behind her, shook his head.

"You guys… are so troublesome."

Ino turned on her teammate, her eyes flashing in anger. "Who asked you anyway?" she turned back to Kiba "Sit down, now tell me all about it."

They were currently sitting in Shikamaru's favorite field, away from everyone else. Shikamaru himself suggested the location saying that they would have more privacy. The lazy Nin sighed, nothing could keep Ino from her daily dose of gossip. He smirked to himself.

Kiba finished his brief tale much to the amusement of Ino. She rolled on the grass laughing. "Are you sure?"

He nodded "Positive, Akamaru here saw everything."

Ino smiled at the dog before petting his head fondly. "Good boy Akamaru, you're the best!"

The dog wagged his tail happily and gave a joyous bark. Shikamaru grunted he disliked animals of any sort. They were too troublesome for him. They were always messing with him in one way or the other. He only tolerated them when the need came. He watched Ino's brief interaction before rolling over on to his stomach.

"You're going to trust the word of a dog" he gestured towards Akamaru "instead of asking your best friend first?"

"Yup!" she grinned and gave him the thumbs up.

He would've said more, but talking was too much like work to him. He chose to watch his friend and shake his head doubtfully.

"Wow, she has Sasuke AND Naruto fighting over her? That's amazing!" Ino spoke to herself while watching Kiba's retreating form. "Who would've thought that old forehead girl would have so many suitors?"

"Suitors?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow. "She can't really have suitors, she's married, remember?"

Ino's countenance fell. "Oh yeah," she glanced skyward "I guess that would prove to be a problem."

Shikamaru looked at her in amazement. "A problem?" he asked, all laziness forgotten "She's married! The only problem there is Naruto."

"So?"

"I give up!" he slapped his forehead "I don't know why I even bother." It was true; he never knew why he bothered with such affairs. It was usually Ino who dragged him into these kinds of things. Troublesome Ino, he just wanted to cloud watch with his friend. Now she was bringing in all the worries of the world and piling them on his back.

What made it worse was he didn't mind it. He smirked at that, he would do almost anything for her and she knew it.

"What drives me crazy is-" Shikamaru glanced up. He forgot that she had started talking again. "She doesn't even realize this! How could someone so smart be oblivious to two totally hot guys fighting over her?"

"Hot?" Shikamaru didn't know whether to laugh or feel jealous. "So you're admitting that Naruto is hot?"

Ino turned her face away, embarrassed by the awkwardness of it all. "Um, he has grown pretty good looking since the first Chuunin exams." She pointed out "But that's not the point! I mean, how can you NOT know when someone likes you?"

"Good question." He watched her and sighed, she was just as oblivious as Sakura. Inwardly he pitied Ino's best friend. He wanted to help her, but that would be too much like work.

-

-

It had been three days since the incredibly awkward mission. After convincing everyone that she indeed was not pregnant, Sakura found herself working in the hospital once more.

She was sharing the same shift as Hinata, and also the same patient. "What happened to him?" she asked as soon as she caught sight of the ripped up patient.

"Sound ninja." Hinata said softly while stroking the man's forehead in a motherly gesture. Sakura smiled at the tenderness of her friend. Even though the Hyuga had put her through that awkward predicament three days before; she couldn't help but forgive her saintly friend.

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

Her green eyes softened at the man's pitiful position. He was missing his left arm, chunks of flesh out of his chest, there were several scars all along his body, his mind had been messed with, a flap of skin had been blown off his face, and several minor injuries.

"What did Tsunade say about his condition?"

Hinata's eyes watered as she faced her pink-haired friend. "S-she said he wo-won't last the w-week out. S-she's h-hoping to get so-some in-information out of him before h-he dies..." she lowered her head sadly.

Sakura felt a twinge of pain for both the patient and her kind hearted friend. She offered a sad smile before activating her healing jutsu. "So, the best we can do is have him hang in there?"

"Y-yes."

Sakura nodded before continuing. Sometimes she hated her job, but it beat being at home all day. She glanced down at the man below her. He was young, only about twenty two years old. He had a whole future before he ran across the sound ninja.

The previous day, Sakura heard several reports about activities in the Sound. Apparently they found themselves a new leader. There were several reports of Orochimaru coming back to life, but none were confirmed.

Sakura frowned, that was the last thing they'd need. Orochimaru… she remembered her first encounter with him, when he gave Sasuke the curse mark.

"Stupid Orochimaru…" her throat tightened "You ruined everything."

-

-

"Stupid Sasuke, you ruined everything!"

"Shut up already!" Sasuke rubbed his temples. He didn't deserve this type of stress. He cursed the day when he was teamed up with Uzumaki Naruto.

"I was about to save her and everything!" Naruto flailed his arms dramatically "And then you had to come along and ruin things. I must look like an idiot now!"

"It doesn't take much to do that." Sasuke remarked dryly.

Several bystanders glanced at the two before going on about their way. Sasuke looked around, his eyes void of emotion. He hated being forced into stupid excursions like this. After their previous fight and the mission, Kakashi suggested that they walk around Konoha and go out for Ramen.

Naruto was more than eager to go. He would do anything for ramen. Sasuke glared at the back of his best friend's head. Stupid Naruto. Stupid Kakashi. Stupid Sakura. Stupid Tsunade. His list went on…

His blonde friend pulled up a seat at the ramen stand. "Sit down and order something! It's on me!"

Sasuke stopped cursing everyone he knew to stare at his friend. He blinked twice just to be sure that he wasn't dreaming. "What?" he hated asking dumb questions like that, but he had to know.

"You heard me!" Naruto gave his best fox-grin "Food's on me!"

Sasuke seated himself on the stool with both elbows resting on the counter. "Why?"

"Well… I kinda wanted to apologize for the way I acted." The blonde scratched his head in a very childish gesture. "I mean, I'm not saying that you weren't guilty. It's just that… I should've acted more mature. After all, if I'm going to be Hokage I can't let little stuff like that get to me. Right?"

"Hn." Sasuke refused to talk more, but graced his friend with a nod.

Naruto grinned before ordering ramen which he downed in three seconds. He placed down his bowl and faced his friend with all seriousness. "I want you to know one thing though."

Sasuke lowered his chopsticks to meet his gaze. "Hn?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not giving up."

Sasuke smirked "I didn't think you would."

-

-

Sakura's first home cooked meal wasn't anything to write home about. She had taken one of Hinata' suggestions and cooked dinner instead of ordering it. She ended up burning the rice, and the vegetables looked like something her cat coughed up. The only thing she did right was slicing tomatoes.

She noticed that the tomatoes were the only things that Sasuke ate. He later carefully rummaged through the cupboards for bread.

Sakura gave a small sigh before picking at her tomatoes. She personally hated the vegetable, but since it was the only edible course she had no other choice. Sasuke gave a brief 'hn' before heading towards the stairs.

"You could say more than that!" she called out, causing him to stop abruptly.

"What?"

Sakura smiled, she had caught his attention. "Well…" she pretended to search for the right words "most people say more than that. You could start out with 'good night.'"

He gave her a look before turning around.

"I guess you're a man of few words, huh?"

Sasuke gave a small 'hn.' Honestly, what else could he say? He started to doubt his wife's sanity. Since when did Sakura care whether he said much or not.

"You know, if you read more you could increase your vocabulary!"

He clenched his fists and stormed upstairs, leaving a laughing Sakura behind.

-

-

Tsunade watched both young ninja with interest. Apparently their relationship hadn't improved any.

She had called them into her office the following morning in hopes of sending them on a mission together. However, after watching their interaction she started having second thoughts.

When they first came in, Sasuke was walking at his usual pace and Sakura was running from behind him. She got impatient with his walking and shoved him into the Hokage's office. He rose up and yelled at her, she yelled back, and then they ignored each other.

Tsunade raised a finely arched eyebrow. They were both brooding in opposite corners of the room like spoiled children.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat awkwardly "the reason why I called you here this morning was for a mission." Both ninja's eyes lit up at the word 'mission.' "However," Tsunade continued, "After observing you I decided that the best thing for the two of you would be…"

Sakura leaned forward, her ears practically twitching in anticipation. Sasuke looked like he didn't care, but he too was listening carefully.

"…Marital counseling…"

Tsunade counted to three.

"WHAT?!?"

-

-

Saying those two words was something that Tsunade soon regretted. Sasuke activated his Sharingan angrily before snatching a kunai and pointing at her. "Where's the Hokage?"

"I am the Hokage, you moron!" Tsunade snapped angrily. She didn't get to say much more before Sakura tackled her.

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" she bellowed into her teacher's face. Tsunade sighed she didn't deserve this. "MARITAL COUNSELLING? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKIN MIND?!?"

"No I'm not!" Tsunade kicked her pupil in the stomach, sending her flying upwards in a graceful arch. Sakura landed easily but quickly clutched her sore stomach. "You two need it, you guys are driving the rest of Konoha insane."

"Says who?" they both demanded simultaneously.

"The newspaper." She flipped the paper in front of their faces. They both leaned forward and reached for it.

"Give it!" Sakura snarled, yanking violently at the paper.

"Let go!" Sasuke narrowed his still red eyes at the short female. He gave a sharp jerk, but Sakura had a vice like grip on the paper. They both pulled with all of their strength.

"HEY! STOP IT!" Tsunade yelled, slamming both hands on her desk. Her command went ignored and the paper was soon lying in shreds on the ground.

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" the two yelled in unison while pointing accusingly at the other.

Sasuke death glared Sakura, who returned the glare full force. Tsunade threw kunai at the two, causing them to duck out of the way.

"Stop fighting dammit!" she growled before thrusting her spare newspaper at the married couple. They glared at each other before reaching for it again.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Tsunade yelled. Sakura jumped at the sound of her teacher's voice. "You'd better share that damn paper or I'll-" she cut in the middle of her threat and cracked her knuckles ominously. Both ninja gulped before slowly reaching out for the paper.

Sakura glanced at the headlines. "Konoha's newest couple causes trouble in marketplace." On it was a picture of Sakura throwing a large melon at Sasuke, who reflected with several strawberries of his own.

She rubbed her head sheepishly. That was a shopping trip that she hoped to forget. They were banned from the marketplace until they worked things out. Sakura glared at Sasuke, it wasn't her fault. Sasuke shouldn't have been such a jerk to the food vendor.

"Well?" Tsunade tapped her foot impatiently, her hazel eyes shifting between both shinobi. "What do you two have to say for yourselves?"

Sasuke gave a half-hearted shrug.

Sakura smiled awkwardly, "Uh, sorry?"

Shaking her head the Hokage held out a piece of paper. "Head to this address in one hour. There's a specialist there who claims she can help. If she doesn't help, I'll call for someone else. This is your mission, head to that appointment." Sasuke gritted his teeth, he couldn't get out of it now. "Got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" Sakura gave a cheery salute before turning around and exiting. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the Hokage. She gave him a glare that put the famous Uchiha glare to shame.

"You screw things up and I'll castrate you, got it?" she growled.

Sasuke nodded quickly before leaving. Tsunade watched the two leave and sighed, "There goes the most messed up couple I've ever seen. Eh Tonton?"

"Oink!"

-

-

"I guess this is it." Sakura looked up from her piece of paper, she stood outside an apartment door. She turned to Sasuke who shrugged "Yeah."

Her green eyes narrowed. Counting to ten, she slowly breathed out. She prayed that things wouldn't go badly. Maybe this specialist could help them. Emphasis on maybe.

She raised a delicate hand and knocked. Sasuke flinched. Sakura's version of knocking was pounding until the door gave in. He caught her hand before she could knock the door down. "Wait."

She looked at him curiously. This was the first time that he even offered saying something to her. Four letter word or no, he actually said something to her!

The door slowly swung open. Sasuke's eyes widened "Hell no."

Sakura felt her jaw drop, she gripped Sasuke's arm for support "Oh. My. God."

It swung wide open to reveal a strange looking tall woman with a masculine physique. Her eyebrows were thicker than usual, and her eyes strangely familiar. She wore a mismatched dress that revealed hairy legs. The woman gave a smile that nearly blinded the couple.

Sakura shook her head in amazement. "G-gai sensei!?!"

"Greetings youthful students of Kaka-!" the 'woman' stopped mid sentence. "I mean, who are you?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to slap his forehead. "What the hell? We know it's you."

"Know it's who? Come in youthful children! Tell me all about your troubles!" Gai pulled the two into a bone crushing hug before dragging them inside.

"Why'd you dress like a woman?" Sakura asked, pointing to the ugly dress.

"I do not know what you mean! My name is Maito Gai, I mean, Maiko Gail." Gai quickly pulled out a pair of thick glasses "I bet you can't tell the difference now!" he declared victoriously.

Sasuke had never seen such stupidity in his life. He felt immediate anger towards Tsunade for putting him in this stupid position. Was this some kind of dumb joke?

"Now, sit down and tell me what's wrong!"

Sakura sat down beside her husband in a daze. Their gazes met. "S-sasuke, let's just get out of here."

"Yeah." They both slowly rose as Gai turned around to get some tea. He quickly jumped and blocked their exit.

"Nuh uh," he wagged a finger "That is very un-youthful of you! Think of how upset your Hokage will be when she discovers that you skipped out on your mission!"

"Well…" Sakura spoke slowly "Could you at least change back into your normal clothes?" she asked before mumbling "If you can call spandex normal."

Gai's shoulders drooped "That obvious huh?"

Sasuke nodded "Very obvious. Get changed and we won't leave."

Gai gave him the 'good guy' pose along with his blinding smile. "Alrighty then! You kids stay right here!" He leapt out the room leaving them alone in an awkward silence.

Sasuke's onyx eyes turned to Sakura. She gave him a wary smile "Weird huh?" she asked.

He nodded while running a hand through his raven locks. "Sorry."

Sakura blinked in surprise. Did Sasuke just apologize? To her? "W-what?"

"Sorry… that I got you into this mess." He waved a hand towards the door that Gai disappeared through. Sakura giggled.

"Nah, actually I think it's pretty funny." She smiled brightly at him. He smirked; Marital counseling might not be so bad after all.

-

-

End Chapter

Okay, you're probably wondering WTF? Well I brought up M.C. (marital counseling) because my parents just went to it. So I thought it'd be an interesting subject. Besides, I don't think anyone else added it into their fics. I really wanna do something different. Please review!

Okay, the goal is 85-90 reviews before I update again. I'd really like to break 100 before Ch10. Please and thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

When I went online today and looked at my reviews I screamed. Not your usual girly-girly scream, I'm talking about earsplitting, glass shattering, scare the crap out of my cat type of scream. I'm so happy I could cry! –Tear- Thank you so much! I can't stop grinning now –grins like a freaking Cheshire cat- see?

Do pay attention to some of the little things that are mentioned here and there. They do play an important role later in this story as the plot develops. (Plot? What plot?) –Cough- Yeah believe it or not I do have a plot (that rhymed! Woot!)

Warning: SasuSaku ahead! RUUUUUNNNNN!!!!!

Disclaimer: Itachi ran away from me, but now I own Sasuke! Sorry, I have to run from Kishimoto and his lawers now. –grabs Sasuke- Run Sasuke, run!

-

-

Sasuke suppressed a groan, they must have been in counseling for thirty minutes now. The chairs hurt his butt, not like he was complaining. He winced as he slowly shifted positions.

He was seated in couch that must've been made out of bricks, beside him sat Sakura who watched Gai with all the calm and poise of a shinobi. Gai sat across the way from them on a leather chair and took notes while asking random questions.

If anyone had have told Sasuke that he'd be taking marital advice from Gai, he probably would've keeled over with laughter.

"So," Gai randomly bellowed, "How did you two get together?"

"Arranged marriage." They said simultaneously in the same monotone.

"How do you know each other?"

"Teammates."

The questions went on; sometimes it came to weird points like "Boxers or Briefs?" Sasuke shrugged and said boxers. Sakura, whose cheeks turned pink, quickly said the opposite.

"Tell me, who do you think the problem is."

"Him."

"Her."

Gai's large eyebrows rose up. Sakura cringed they looked like twin caterpillars.

"You know," Gai leaned back as he began speaking in a philosophical tone of voice 'I may not know much about marriage, but I do know that it's a team effort."

"Hm?" that immediately caught both of their attentions.

"Remember how you took parallel vows?"

Sakura nodded slowly as realization dawned on her. Sasuke glanced out the window it was evening already.

"You both have to make an effort to improve things. You can't expect for the other to change to your liking." The spandex clad man continued on "The first big step is getting to know each other."

"What?" Sakura asked while quickly glancing at her stoic husband. "But I already know him!"

Gai shook his head wisely "Not in the way that you should. Here," he thrust out a sheet of paper. They both immediately reached for it. Not wanting to replay what happened earlier, Sakura drew back her hand and allowed Sasuke to have the paper. "These are a few notes that I've taken on you two. Read over them, and I suggest you spend either today or tomorrow to yourselves. Try to learn more about the other person. You'll be happy when you do."

Gai immediately went from 'wise mode' to 'Oh my god it's him mode'. "WELL, DEAR STUDENTS OF KAKASHI! BASK IN YOUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER! AS THE LOTUS BLOOMS TWICE SO DOES TRUE LOVE! FEEL THE POWER OF YOUTH! LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST! EXERCISE EVERYDAY! DO-"

Sasuke promptly grabbed Sakura's arm and hurried out of the apartment, shutting the door in the middle of Gai's speech.

"That was annoying."

Sakura glanced up at him and shrugged. He held out the paper to her which she slowly accepted. Reading over it she smiled. Her smile quickly disappeared as Gai leapt out the apartment door towards them.

"One more thing!"

They both turned reluctantly. _'Here we go again,'_ Sasuke thought.

"There is another way to assure that some form of unity remains in the household."

Sakura raised an eyebrow "Oh? What's that?"

Gai gave another shining grin at her before assuming the 'good guy pose'. "Have a child!"

Both of their jaws dropped. Sasuke turned away and made a quick retreat down the stairs with Sakura fast behind. "IF THAT DOES NOT WORK I WILL DO FIVE HUNDRED JUMPING JACKS WHILE BALANCING PUPPIES ON MY HEAD!" Gai called out after the retreating couple. He chuckled to himself "Ah, young love."

-

-

Ayame quickly served up another bowl of ramen for the ramen slurping future Hokage and co. Beside him sat the rest of the rookie nine, excluding his own teammates of course. The whole group had decided to get together for dinner at the ramen stand.

"I wonder where they could be?" Ino wondered aloud while twirling her chopsticks around in her ramen. The fattening food didn't appease to the blonde, but the ramen stand was a great hangout joint.

"Ha! They're probably doing adult stuff," Kiba answered the blond before downing his own bowl of ramen "I know I would. Sakura is H.O.T.!"

Hinata watched out of the corner of her eye as Naruto's grip tightened on his chopsticks. His whole body was tense and rigid with anger. He turned to Kiba "What?" his eyes turned freakishly feral.

"Well you know, I mean, they are married." The Inuzuka pointed out carelessly. Shino kicked him under the table "OW! What was that for?"

His teammate adjusted his glasses "Moron."

"You don't think they would, do you?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide in panic. "I thought Sakura-Chan hates Sasuke-teme!"

Hinata glanced down at her bowl of ramen and sighed to herself. No matter how hard she tried, Sakura would always be first to him. Her pale eyes softened sadly. Ino seemed to sense it as she smacked Naruto upside the head.

"What does it matter to you anyway? They're married! Get over it already and go find yourself another girl!"

"Hey guys!"

All heads turned to see Sakura jogging up to them. "I thought I heard some noise!" she grinned playfully at the sullen looking group.

Shikamaru glanced at Ino before looking to Hinata and finally Naruto. "…Troublesome…" he muttered before falling back to sleep.

Ino gave an overly-cheerful smile "Sakura! We were just talking about you!" she scooted over so that her friend could sit between her and Naruto. "Where's Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura shrugged "He went off somewhere. He wouldn't say where, only that he would be back soon." She glanced behind her, almost as if Sasuke would suddenly materialize out of the darkness.

"Where were you guys all day?" Naruto suddenly asked. Everyone immediately went silent.

"Ah, you know…" Sakura tried to remain vague. Mentioning Marital Counseling would be a little too much information. "We decided to hang out."

"Hang out?" everyone including the ramen man echoed.

She nodded before turning to her bowl of miso ramen. Naruto shook his head and refused to speak anymore. Shikamaru was still sleeping with his head in his bowl of Ramen. Choji decided to eat Shikamaru's ramen for him. "Ramen is ramen!" he said to the disgusted group.

Hinata and her teammates were about to leave when it began raining. Hard.

"Oh great!" Kiba complained "I forgot to bring the dogs to their indoor runs! Sorry guys, I have to go!" He quickly ran off into the torrent weather. Shino raised a hand in a brief farewell before disappearing in a cloud of bugs.

"Ewww…" Sakura and Ino said in unison.

Shikamaru quickly woke up as Choji's chopsticks grabbed a lock of his hair. "Ouch!" he cried while clutching his sore head. He looked out lazily "Ah great, it's raining… and I was supposed to be at home helping Mom with the deer too."

He got up and paid his tab. "See you guys later."

"Wait!" Ino cried jumping up "I'll go with you, my house is on the way." She turned to her pink-haired friend. "You take care of Sasuke, okay?"

Sakura blushed and nodded.

"Choji, you coming?"

The chubby boy nodded before jumping up and paying for himself and Ino. The trio disappeared leaving Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata in an awkward silence.

Sakura finished her ramen with a contented sigh. "That was good, thanks." She called out to the beaming chef. She looked over the angry looking Naruto and sad looking Hinata.

"I guess I should get going." She said to no one in particular.

Hinata nodded her head slowly "I-I guess…"

"Want me to walk you home Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes shining eagerly. Sakura blinked, that was a huge change from the angry Naruto she had seen before.

Her gaze fell on the shy Hyuga who sat dejectedly in the corner. A small smile spread across her face. "Nah, no thanks… How about you walk Hinata-Chan home instead?"

Hinata jumped up as though she were struck by lightening. "N-no it-it's o-o-okay S-sakura-ch-chan, I-I c-c-can ha-handle my-myself…" She shook her head so hard that Sakura was afraid that it'd fall off. "Y-y-you and Naruto-k-kun sh-should g-g-on o-on ah-ahead…"

Naruto's shook his head deftly, "But I wanted to walk YOU home Sakura-Chan!" he declared.

Sakura rolled her eyes. She felt so sorry for Hinata, the one person who had been cheering him on from the beginning. "No, you take Hinata. Besides," she grinned "Imagine what'd happen if Neji-kun found out that you left his cousin alone in the rain." She whispered.

His blue eyes widened in fear, "Oh crap…" He quickly turned to Hinata, who was already in the street with her umbrella open. "Hinata-Chan!" he yelled, jumping up "I'll go with you! Wait up!"

Hinata blushed and held up the umbrella for them both to share. Sakura smiled as the two slowly walked down the road together. If only she could get Naruto to notice the Hyuga, then everything would be perfect. Her smile slowly faded, everything would be perfect for them.

She shook such sad thoughts away and paid her bill. Covering her head with her hands, she ran down the long road towards the Uchiha Manor.

-

-

On the way there, she made a turn and stopped by the Hokage's office. Once inside she brushed the water droplets out of her hair with her hands.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" The Hokage called out from behind a large pile of paperwork.

"HI Sakura!" Shizune called out cheerfully.

"Actually I was wondering if Sasuke came by earlier…" she said as she seated herself in a chair beside her teacher.

The older woman shook her head "No, I haven't seen him since earlier this afternoon when the two of you came together." Her eyes lit up "Which reminds me, how did it go?"

"How did what go?"

Tsunade narrowed her hazel eyes while tossing a scroll to her student. "The counseling."

"Ah," she shrugged "It was okay I guess. I still don't see why you picked that particular counselor for us."

The blonde's eyes widened in surprise "Why? What was wrong with her?"

It was Sakura's turn to be surprised "Her? Don't you know who it as?"

"Who what was?"

"You gave us Gai sensei." Sakura stated flatly as she rose up to file the scroll.

Tsunade looked surprised. "Really?" she asked incredulously "I thought there was something funny about that woman." She turned to her assistant "Did you know that it was Gai?"

"Well," Shizune shrugged while laying down another stack of papers "It was kind of obvious. With the eyebrows and all."

"How come I didn't notice?"

Shizune sighed heavily. "Because you were drunk, that's why."

Sakura covered a giggle. She headed towards the door "Well, thanks anyway! I guess I'll look for Sasuke at home. By Shizune!" The pink-haired girl exited the room leaving them in a still silence.

Tsunade turned to face her assistant "Seriously, how come I didn't notice it?"

-

-

After Marital Counseling, Sasuke spent the rest of the afternoon wandering aimlessly around Konoha. He visited several weapons shops, and even trained a little with the older Hyuga. However, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get his mind off counseling.

The fact that everybody but Sakura was ready for Uchiha heirs was driving him crazy. What if he died in a mission? As highly improbably as that sounded, it was still a danger to him. He had stopped by to speak to his former sensei about it.

_Flashback_

_Sasuke stood at the bridge with his sensei. His patience was wearing thin as the older man continued to ignore his pupil by reading one of his perverted novels._

"_Kakashi," Sasuke sighed, "I need help."_

_That seemed to spark the older man's interest. Sasuke rarely lowered himself to ask a mere mortal like Kakashi for help._

"_With what?"_

_The Uchiha glanced out over the water in an attempt to avoid eye contact. "Sakura."_

"_Let me guess, no kids yet?"_

_If he were any other man, Sasuke would've been blushing by now. However he refrained from doing so and merely nodded "Something like that."_

"_Take your time," Kakashi said philosophically "After all, she is a young woman. She's looking for someone to love her, not use her. She also needs time to warm up to the idea."_

_Sasuke glanced up quickly. That thought hadn't occurred to the Uchiha. He figured that they'd be married, have a kid or two, and go on with their lives. Apparently he knew nothing of having a married life at all. He frowned._

"_Of course you can always give her a little push, with this!" he held out a copy of Icha Icha Paradise Volume 10._

_Sasuke glared and turned away. He walked a few steps before pausing, "Kakashi?"_

"_Hm?"_

"… _Thanks…"_

_Kakashi smiled at his students retreating form. He would learn in due time. _

_End Flashback_

_-_

_-_

He glanced upward as the sky's opened up and rain poured down. "I guess I should head home." He muttered to himself before leaving.

-

-

When Sakura arrived home the sight of Sasuke sitting in the middle of the living room floor greeted her. She approached him warily "Sasuke?"

His onyx eyes met hers briefly before he broke the contact "What?"

"Ummm… I don't know how to say this…" she seated herself across the floor from him. "But, I was thinking that maybe we could put Gai's counseling to use."

He raised an eyebrow. This was new, Sakura following Gai sensei's advice. Six years ago she was freaking out by the mere sight of him. He shrugged "Aa."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded impatiently "You honestly need to work on your speaking skills…"

"Fine." He mumbled.

Sakura leaned forward, her green eyes bright with mischief "What's that? Can't hear you!"

"I said FINE!" he yelled causing her to jump. She leaned away from him nervously.

"Um, okay you didn't have to yell." She mumbled as she pulled Gai's paper out of her back pocket. She unfolded it and held it out to him.

"The first thing it says is to write a list of things you dislike about your partner. You can have a minimum of five things and a maximum of ten. Then once finished, exchange the lists."

-

-

Ten minutes later they exchanged the lists. Sakura gulped before opening up the folded piece of paper.

_Things I Don't Like About Sakura_

_Her loudness_

_How she always stops to talk to old ladies_

_Her fan-girl attitude_

_Her pink hair (no Uchiha heir should have pink hair)_

_Her 'females are superior' attitude that she uses with me._

_Her bad sense of house fashion_

_Her crush on Naruto_

_The way she makes me feel… irritated_

After reading the list her eyebrows went up… waaayyy up. "Wow…" she whispered, "I didn't know I was that annoying."

Sasuke opened Sakura list out of boredom.

_Things I Don't Like About Sasuke_

_His stuck up attitude._

_His boring sense of fashion_

_The fact that he'd rather run off with a gay old man instead of stay with me_

_His attitude towards Naruto_

_The way he goes 'hn' instead of talking_

_His total lack of a Vocabulary_

_The way he walks around emotionlessly_

_The way he acts like the rest of the team is insignificant_

_His snotty smirk_

_The fact that he's totally vague_

His eye narrowed at the accursed piece of paper. He smirked, '_That many things, huh?'_ He glanced towards Sakura who had just finished her list. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised.

"Well…" She said awkwardly 'I guess we both have some work to do."

He was about to say 'hn' but he remembered her list. "I guess."

-

-

"Okay, the next thing is pretty much the same," Sakura read aloud "except we write a list about things we like about each other."

Sasuke nodded. This would be interesting.

_Things I like About Sakura_

_Her poise_

_That she isn't afraid to love, even after being hurt again and again_

_Her strength_

_Her eyes_

_The fact that she's probably getting worked up about this_

_Her smile_

Sakura's eyes widened, "Oh my gosh…" she covered her cheeks as they turned bright red. She couldn't believe that he wrote that he liked… she blushed again. '_Her eyes, her smile'._ Her green eyes rested on Sasuke who looked away evasively.

_Things I like about Sasuke_

_His hair, it's really cool_

_The way he managed to evade his fan girls_

_His strange friendship with Naruto-kun_

_His face in the mornings_

_The way he can be nice at strange times_

Sasuke glanced up from the list. He smirked up at Sakura who was currently trying to cover an obvious blush.

"My hair huh?"

She blushed "Shut up."

Before more could be said a loud rumble was heard. Sakura shrieked in fear as the lights went out. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her strange behavior "Relax, its just thunder."

"I-I know that…" she mumbled shamefacedly, her head lowered. She sat up straighter.

Sasuke watched her try to compose herself. Another loud roll of thunder was heard. She covered her face and whimpered from behind her fingers. He raised both eyebrows, that was weird. "Are you scared of thunder?"

She shook her head real hard, "N-no I'm no-not."

He sighed, for a shinobi she made a pretty bad liar at times. He looked her dead in the eye "You're lying."

Sakura shook her head once more, her pink hair swishing. He gritted his teeth, he hoped that none of their children would take after their mother. "Why?' he asked bluntly.

"I don't know," she admitted sadly "Mother thinks it's because of the day when father died." She noted Sasuke's expression and continued, "I was three years old, and it was a stormy day. We went out shopping and when we came home he was on the floor… dead." Her voice wavered as she lowered her head, her pink hair shielding her face. "The doctors said it was a health problem. E-ever since then, I-I've been scared of storms. T-tsunade says it might be because of the early trauma that I associate storms with death."

Sasuke nodded his head, unsure of what to do. His eyes widened as he saw a tear drop from her face. He gritted his teeth before forcing out "I have a fear of cows."

He watched as Sakura's shoulders trembled heavily. She titled her head upwards and let out a laugh. He almost smiled watching her green eyes shine as her shoulders shook. "You're scared of COWS?" she asked incredulously.

"When I was little," he said slowly "I approached one and it bellowed at me. Ever since then, I've avoided contact with them."

She covered her mouth as she began to laugh once more. Her green eyes watched her slightly unsettled husband. It then struck her that he told her that fact to make her laugh. She smiled at him, who knew that Sasuke had a nice side?

They spent the rest of that evening they spent sharing facts about themselves. As she went to bed that night, Sakura couldn't help but think about how Gai would be crying tears of joy if he could see them now.

-

-

That night Sasuke had nightmares once more. Sakura rolled over in her sleep, trying to block out the cries coming from the other room. When they wouldn't stop she rolled out of bed and tip toed towards his bedroom.

Her eyes watered seeing her husbands pitiful sight. He was tossing more violently than ever, his body wrapped up in the sheets. His hair was disheveled and his eyes clamped shut.

"NO!" he screamed "DON'T TOUCH HER!"

Sakura drew back from him in fear, "Oh Sasuke, what's wrong with you?"

He stiffened at the sound of her voice. He leaned up in his sleep "Go away, GO AWAY HE'LL KILL YOU!!!"

Her eyes widened, she quickly seated herself beside him at the edge of his bed. She reached out a hand and touched his cheek "Sasuke, no one's going to ki-"

In his violent spasms he jerked upwards, sitting straight up. Unfortunately Sakura was hovering over him, the motion caused their lips to clash together. Sakura's eyes widened as Sasuke relaxed against her.

His smooth lips slowly slid against her slightly moist ones. Her eyes couldn't have gotten any wider if she took lessons. She closed her eyes slowly and returned the kiss. She ran a hand through his smooth raven locks, eliciting a small groan. Sasuke's arm slid around her waist while the other behind her neck, pulling her down on top of him.

The sudden need for oxygen caused Sakura to pull away from him. Her mind quickly cleared, "What?"

She looked down at her husband whose face was the very picture of peace. Embarrassed, she jumped off him and backed away. She sighed in relief seeing that he was still sleeping. With her heart pounding, she ran out the room towards her own.

As she left Sasuke opened an eye and smirked at her retreating from before going back to sleep.

End Chapter

-

-

I WARNED YOU! This chapter was kind of a filler and also based off a last minute inspiration. I decided that it's time they start talking like normal human beings, at least for a little while. Oh, in case you haven't figured I am a huge supporter of ShikaIno, so there will be some in this story. If you want to know the pairing for this story look at the top of the page where it has the review numbers and pairing. I won't change it for all the money in the world.

This time, I'd like 115 reviews. I'm so excited; I'm going to break a hundred! Yay! Please review and make me a happy person!


	11. Chapter 11

**AAAHHH!!!! 129 reviews!!! YES!! WOOT!**

**I was gonna update yesterday but I had a meeting to attend. Even now I'm kinda questioning updating since there's a 'Dave The Barbarian' marathon on toon Disney. God, I love that show! Thanks for the reviews, much love. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto yet –sigh- But I have successfully managed to kidnap Neji! Yes!**

**Oh yes, keep in mind that I am not very familiar with the Japanese culture. I don't know their foods, clothes, nothing. So… yeah. Heh heh.**

**-**

**-**

The following morning was incredibly awkward… for Sakura at least. Sasuke calmly seated himself at the table and ate his bowl of cereal. Sakura constantly fidgeted and stole glances at her calm husband.

He looked up at her in annoyance. "What?"

She blinked in surprise. "What?"

He glared "What?"

"What?" Sakura paused "I mean, what do you mean by what?"

"What's wrong with you? You're acting weird."

"Weird? I'm not acting weird! What would make you think that I'm acting weird?" she asked in a high squeaky voice. To top it all off she added a nervous chuckle.

He sighed before returning to his bowl. Sakura sighed in relief, that was close. She could only imagine the embarrassment she'd experience if he found out about last night. Her cheeks turned red at the thought.

Sasuke gave a smirk. He wondered if she was thinking about the incident. His smirk turned into a small grin.

A knock on the door interrupted both of their thoughts. "I'll get it!" they both jumped up.

"No, you finish your cereal!" Sakura cried.

"I'll get it!"

They both pushed past each other to answer the door. They reached the door in unison and swung it open as hard as possible. Unfortunately due to Sakura's inhumane strength the force of their pulls caused the door to be yanked off it's hinges and fly into the living room.

Naruto where the door once was with his jaw dropped.

"Um, hello?" he squeaked nervously.

"What do you want?" Sasuke snarled at the same time that Sakura said "Hi Naruto-kun!"

"Hi Sakura-Chan!" Naruto waved happily while giving his biggest grin. "Old Grandma Tsunade wants to meet Sasuke at her office. She said to bring Sakura while you're at it."

Sasuke nodded before swinging his arm to close the door. He then remembered that his door was currently lodged into the opposite wall. "Damn." He grabbed a couch and propped it up against the door frame.

"I'll see you then!" Naruto's muffled voice cheerily cried.

"Bye Naruto-kun!" Sakura smiled before turning to her angry husband. "I guess I should find a door repair guy, huh?"

-

-

At the Hokage's office Sasuke noted the small gathering. Besides himself and Sakura, Hinata and Shino stood alongside them. He raised an eyebrow; he hoped that he wouldn't have a mission with them. Sasuke personally didn't mind the shy Hyuga; she was nice and not bothersome. However, he did feel a dislike for Shino 'bug boy' Aburame. His eye twitched at the mere sight of him.

Sakura on the other hand was just as happy to see them as she was to see everyone else. "Hinata-Chan!" she cried hugging her friend "Shino-san! How are you?"

"F-fine."

"We are well, and you?"

She smiled brightly "Just as good as ever!"

The Hokage cleared her throat to catch the attention of the group. She leaned forward on her desk with a smug smirk on her face.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino you three are to go on a mission to-"

"Wait a minute!" Sakura cut in "What about me?"

Tsunade motioned for her to be silent before continuing. "This is another typical escort mission. A rich ruler in the Village Hidden in the Grass needs you to escort his daughter back home. She was brought here a month ago for 'diplomatic purposes' so she needs a safe escort back. Especially since there are Ninja from the Sound abroad. You are to take her back home and remain at her home for a week to make sure she's safe. Understand? The rest of the details are in this scroll."

She flicked he wrist lazily sending the scroll spinning safely into Sasuke's hands. "Escort a girl huh? How hard can it be?" he asked casually.

Tsunade chose to ignore him. "Send in the client!" she yelled.

The door opened to reveal an attractive young woman with long black locks tied up in an elegant bun. She wore a blue formal kimono with silver butterflies embroidered in it. She held a matching fan up to her face.

"Thank you, lady Hokage." She bowed.

"People," the said Hokage caught the shinobi's attention "This is princess Ayu, princess Ayu meet your bodyguards."

Ayu smiled politely at Shino and Hinata, her lavender eyes lit up at the sight of Sasuke. Sakura inwardly groaned, _'Not again!'_

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She cooed, extending her hand gracefully towards the bored Uchiha.

He raised an eyebrow at her extended arm and shrugged. "Hn."

Sakura felt a strong sense of gratitude for his attitude. She inwardly danced for joy. Shino watched interaction and smirked from behind his huge jacket. Hinata smiled.

Shizune piled more papers in front of Tsunade's desk "These just came in." she whispered apologetically. She paused at the sight of Sakura's face.

"Why did you call me in?" Sakura folded her arms while eyeing the Hokage angrily.

Tsunade shrugged "I figured that Sasuke could just drag you along for fun."

"Lady Hokage," Sakura stood at attention "I would consider it a privilege if you would allow me to lead this mission."

The Hokage gave a brief grin before shaking her head.

"WHY NOT?" everyone winced as Sakura's voice rose several octaves "I mean, you are sending these three anbu off without a captain? I'm a captain, and I'm not involved in any other mission."

Sasuke nodded at her logic "She got you there."

Tsunade gave him a fierce glare before turning back to her pupil. "I'm sorry Sakura, I need you here. I did call you here for a purpose. I'd prefer to discuss it alone though." The look she gave her pupil told her that there was no need for further discussion. "Sasuke will lead this mission and take the position as captain for it."

Sakura sighed in defeat. Ayu watched the events with interest. She wondered why the sexy Uchiha cared whether pinky came or not.

Sakura's looked at the anbu sorrowfully. She glanced down at her anbu uniform. "And I was prepared too…" she pouted while giving the puppy dog eyes.

Hyuga Hinata approached her sad friend "There, there…" she said comfortingly "You ca-can al-always f-fight off fan girls lat-later."

"You're right."

-

-

Sasuke's team stood at the gates to Konoha. The Uchiha smirked; he finally got to lead an anbu mission. Word was that Tsunade saw that he had many qualities that she was looking for in an anbu captain. He hoped to prove himself in this mission. Doing so would place him one step ahead of the annoying dobe.

"Sasuke-kun," Ayu said in a small cute voice "shouldn't we be leaving now?"

He resisted the urge to pimp slap her. "No."

She tried imitating Sakura's cute pout. "Why not?" Sasuke hated to admit it, but there was no compare.

"I'm waiting."

Shino nodded from behind the soon to be captain. "Please be patient Ayu-sama, we will be leaving shortly."

She turned to the Aburame and sighed. Fine, she could wait. After all, she'd still be with her new-found love.

The sound of someone running towards them caused the whole team to turn. Sasuke smirked at the approaching figure. "Finally, took you long enough."

"Shut up!" Sakura panted "It's not my fault you left your stupid sword on the table."

Ayu watched the interaction in curiosity and confusion. "Are you two related or something?" she asked pointing between the pair. Sasuke and Sakura exchanged an amused glance.

Sakura raised an eyebrow and smirked. Hinata sighed; Sasuke was definitely a huge influence on the girl. "No, not at all." Sakura laughed, "We're married."

Ayu's jaw dropped "You're…married…?" she looked hopelessly at Sasuke who gave her a brief shrug. Sakura merely responded by standing on her tiptoes and giving Sasuke a peck on the cheek "Good luck." She couldn't help but smirk at Ayu's reaction.

The first half of the trip was spent carrying Ayu's unconscious body.

-

-

"Why did you want to talk to me?" Sakura asked the Hokage.

"Yeah, what's up?' Uzumaki folded his arms impatiently "You cut in the middle of my ramen time for some stupid meeting. This had better be important!"

Tsunade's hazel eyes flashed angrily "It is important, so just shut up!" she took a deep breath and calmed herself before facing Sakura.

"You remember the patient that I assigned to you and Hinata, right?" Tsunade asked slowly.

"You mean the one that was all torn up?" Tsunade nodded "Yes, he's not dead is he?"

The blonde sighed sadly before nodding her head. Sakura's eyes softened sadly, "oh." The two shared a brief moment of silence before Tsunade glanced up at her student. "He gave us some interesting information that may prove valuable for the safety of the village. We taped our past conversations with him."

She stretched out her hand; in it she held two tapes. "He was in such bad condition, that we could barely get him in the interrogation room. We had to hold it in his hospital room, the sound might be off but you'll get the full mean. The first one isn't that important, it's just basic questions like the time of the attack. The second however hold some very important information. Shizune!"

Her assistant hurried in and readily set up the tape player. She turned on the small television.

_**The Tape**_

_On the screen there were three figures inside a hospital room. One on the bed, the other two standing. Sakura identified them as Ibiki and Tsunade._

"_Tell us more about the attack," Tsunade said softly "Who did it to you?"_

_The figure on the bed groaned before leaning up slightly. "S…sound ninja… two of them…"_

"_Describe them for us." Ibiki's cold voice cut in swiftly. Tsunade turned to him before slowly nodding her approval._

"_One… wore a mask…" the man's voice was small and weak. "The other… was a demon…."_

_Tsunade approached the man; her hands glowed as she activated a healing jutsu. "There, you should be able to speak a little more clearly. Please, describe this demon."_

_The man's body trembled visibly as he spoke. "He was… half man half demon. T-the right side… of his face was normal. He had silver hair…and dark soulless eyes… but the other half…" he trembled more._

_Tsunade activated another healing jutsu which slowly calmed his spasms. "The other half?" she urged, her voice holding a hint of impatience._

"_It was a monster!" the man yelled with sudden strength "His eye… oh his eye… it was golden, like a snake's." Tsunade and Ibiki exchanged a brief glance before nodding for him to continue. "Long…black hair… his ….he…. it was… Orochimaru."_

"_But you said half of hit had silver hair and black eyes." Ibiki pointed out "Please clarify."_

"_It was half Orochimaru… and half someone else…"_

"_Kabuto, Half Kabuto." Tsunade murmured._

_The man's body stiffened before he collapsed. The tape quickly went to an end._

-

-

"Well," Tsunade asked, "What do you two make of it?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes "Not much… it seems that h-"

"It's Kabuto alright." Naruto growled, his fists clenched and his eyes wide. "We met him when we went to retrieve Sasuke. This was after Sasuke killed that snake, remember?"

The other two slowly nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Kakashi sensei, Hinata-Chan, Shino, Kiba, and I met up with him when we split up. He said something about me helping him to change. Then he revealed that he did something to keep Orochimaru living on."

"Infused DNA?" Sakura asked.

The Hokage shook her head "I don't know, Orochimaru always did have those weird jutsu. He must've taught them to Kabuto somehow."

"No," Naruto cut in "It was all Kabuto. He wanted Orochimaru to live on in him."

"He what?" Sakura asked, her green eyes wide in amazement.

She listened as her friend quickly explained how they ran across him and almost engaged in battle. As she listened to the story she tapped a finger to her chin and looked skyward in her thinking position. Once finished she shook her head. "That's weird."

"Just keep an eye out for any information pertaining to the Sound's possible invasion." Tsunade spoke warningly "We don't know what those guys are up to, but we will stop them!"

"Roger!" With that, both Shinobi disappeared out of her office.

-

-

"Ummm… hey Sakura-Chan?"

"What is it Naruto?"

"Do you…" the blonde scratched his head awkwardly "Want to go out for ramen or something?"

Sakura paused to stare at him. Naruto inwardly slapped himself. Here he was asking his MARRIED teammate out in the middle of the street like a moron. He watched as her face changed expressions.

"Uh, okay."

"REALLY?" his whole countenance brightened at the prospect of Sakura accepting a date.

"Naruto-kun…" Sakura sighed, "It's not like we've never gone out before. Just this time it's a-" she paused, searching for the right word "it's a FRIENDLY date. Got it?"

Naruto grinned as hard as he could "Yeah, yeah I got it!" he grabbed her arm "Let's go!"

-

-

The next morning, Sakura groaned as she awoke. That night was one of the strangest nights ever. Her date with Naruto went fine, they kept their conversation casual and joked around for a while. Going to sleep was the strange thing. It felt weird sleeping without Sasuke's presence. She hugged herself, if the house was lonely before it was even lonelier now.

Rolling out of bed, she put on some slippers and thumped downstairs. "Forehead girl?" she heard someone call.

Racing down the rest of the stairs she was greeted by the sight of her best friend standing in the living room. "What are you doing in my house?" Sakura demanded "Can't you at least knock?"

"Um," Ino scratched her head "Okay." She walked over towards the door which was propped up against the opposite wall and knocked twice. "Happy?"

"Very funny."

Ino shrugged "What did you guys do anyway? Did you get into a lover's quarrel or something?"

Sakura's face turned red as she quickly shook her head "N-no we just… well never mind, what are you doing here?"

"Seeing how you cope without your precious Sasuke-kun."

"Huh?"

Ino plopped down on a sofa "I just wanted to see how you're doing, that's all." She shrugged casually.

"…Okay…" Sakura seated herself beside her blonde friend and yawned loudly. "Sorry, I'm just so sleepy."

"You should be." Ino said teasingly "I guess you're happy that you can sleep without doing any EXTRA activities." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"What do you me-" Sakura blushed as she caught the hidden meaning behind her friend's words. She glared "No, we're not like that at all."

Ino looked unimpressed "Uh, huh… oh yeah there was something else I wanted to tell you…" she said stretching "But I can't remember what it is… what was it now…?" she dragged out her words playfully causing her pink haired friend to glower.

"Ino." She said warningly.

"Shush, I'm trying to remember." The blonde poked her friend's forehead "What was it now? Was it about me and Tenten going shopping tomorrow? No. That wasn't it…." She enjoyed watching her friend get impatient "Or was it the fact that… SHIKAMARU PROPOSED!!!" she squealed the last part out. Sakura's eyes grew wide before she joined her friend in squealing.

"He what?" she yelled squeezing her friend's thin body to her "Oh my God!"

"Yeah!" Ino grinned and extended her left hand.

Sakura 'oohed' over the beautiful ring, the diamonds sparkled in the morning sunlight. "It's so pretty." She whispered.

"I know! Who would've thought that Shikamaru was a romantic?!?"

"Tell me all about it!" Sakura leaned forward eagerly.

"It was about midnight," Ino began "I was out walking when he approached me and told me to come with him. He brought me through the park towards the lake; the moonlight reflecting off the lake was the most beautiful thing. Suddenly he turns around looking all serious and starts' talking about missions and the things team 10 has done together. I was starting to get bored when he goes down on one knee, grabs my hand and says 'Troublesome woman, I mean, Yamanaka Ino will you marry me?'"

Both girls threw their hands in the air and squealed. "That's wonderful!" Sakura exclaimed happily while clapping her hands "Do you want any tea?"

Ino shook her head "Tell me, how have things been with you and Sasuke?"

"We-we're good." Her gaze averted to the floor "We're actually getting along pretty well. Sasuke-san is actually a lot nicer than he pretends to be. He can be a real pain sometimes but other time's he's… dare I say, sweet."

Giggling softly the Yamanaka shook her head "So how've you fared without him?"

Sakura's eyes widened "It's weird, but it's hard sleeping without knowing that he's here. The house seems so empty." She put a hand to her chest "I feel empty too."

Her friend did something unexpected. She threw her head back and laughed.

"W-what's so funny?" Sakura sputtered angrily.

"Easy." Ino pointed to her friend "You. Miss. Him."

"I what?"

"Don't be embarrassed, I think it's cute." Ino smiled brightly "You know what I think you looove him!!!"

Sakura's entire face turned pale. As soon as her friend said that she felt her heart skip several beats. "N-no I d-don't lo-love him at all… do I?"

"I don't know…" Ino admitted while shrugging her shoulders "But I'm pretty sure you feel SOMETHING for him."

Sakura's gaze softened "Yeah, you're right."

**End Chapter**

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**It was a dumb chapter, but I needed to add some of that stuff in because it will prove valuable later on. Trust me on this! Now I'll never update again! Bwahahahaha!!!! Sike, thank you guys so much for 130 reviews! I heart you so much!!!! YAY!!!**

**This time's goal is 150 or more. Thank you in advance! Next chapter will contain a few surprises –cackles-**


	12. Chapter 12

Hey, me again. It's taken me a little while to update and I'm sorry about that. I've been going through major crap lately. My family is practically falling apart and I'm in the middle of all this, so please forgive me. Okay now that that's out of the way, thanks for all the reviews! They made me smile for the first time this week!

Oh! Major apology for the um spoiler… -scratches head- I forgot that most people don't read the Naruto Manga. Heh, sorry.

**Disclaimer: I managed to obtain full ownership of Neji. I apologize if you never see him in the series again.**

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The following two weeks were the longest weeks in Sakura's life. She rarely received any missions, and if she did they were mainly patrolling the border type mission. During her free time she took up cooking lessons with Tenten and Neji. At first it surprised her that Neji knew how to cook but then again he did live with Hinata who was a cookaholic.

The lessons were… interesting to say in the least. She managed to make the stove burst into flames twice before she mastered the art of using the oven. The rest was all downhill from there.

Smiling triumphantly she held out her newly made plate. Neji apprehensively tasted a little food off the edge. His stoic expression was slowly replaced with a steady smile.

"I think she's got it." He said to his grinning girlfriend.

Tenten clapped her hands merrily "Alright! Wait till Sasuke comes home! Won't he be surprised?"

Sakura's grin matched both of her friend's. "Thank you, I don't know how I would've survived without you two."

It was true, her mother never taught her basic skills such as cooking. She was always busy, and Sakura was always off on a mission. It broke her heart to know that she had to go to friends to learn how to cook.

"Here," Sakura blinked and looked down to see Tenten holding a cookbook out to her. "It's a gift, from both of us. Try some new recipes out, okay?"

"You might want to hurry." Neji caused both females to turn in his direction "I heard that Sasuke's team will be coming home between today and tomorrow."

Sakura's whole face brightened "REALLY?" she pulled both of her friends into a brief embrace and pulled back quickly. "Thanks again guys! I gotta get home now, see you later!"

The pink haired girl quickly sped off leaving both adults in a state of confusion. Tenten broke out of it first and grinned up at her boyfriend who shook his head slowly. She punched his arm playfully before jogging off leaving the Hyuga to his thoughts.

'_Sakura… I wish you the best with your marriage…'_

_-_

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"Is everyone alright?" Sasuke called out to his team who was trailing behind him as he leapt through the trees. They responded with a weary 'Hai.' He nodded before picking up his pace. The mission was relatively easy. They battled with a few jounin level rogue ninja, nothing they couldn't handle.

The real problem came after they succeeded with their mission. Sasuke felt his fists clench at the very thought of what happened. How was it even possible that the rat was still alive? He wondered.

_Flashback_

"_G-good work ev-everyone…" Hyuga Hinata smiled at the rest of the team as she prepared a brief meal of vegetable stew over an open fire. Shino nodded while Sasuke 'hnned'. He didn't need the Hyuga girl to tell him that. He did an outstanding job. The only big problem was Princess Ayu's obsession with the stoic Uchiha. _

_A kunai came flying out of nowhere and lodged itself in the ground beside Hinata's leg. She 'eeped' in surprises before activating her Byakugan._

"_We have company!" she yelled, all shyness forgotten with the foreboding threat of battle. Sasuke smirked while activating his own Kekkei Genkai. "Let's hope that this one is more challenging than the last."_

_Shino adjusted his glasses calmly. To the naked eye he did nothing. Secretly he released several of his insects, sending them towards their attacker._

_Their assailant leapt into the clearing making himself known to the trio. A brown hood covered the majority of his face. Sasuke caught sight of slick black hair and narrowed his eyes._

"_Hello Sasuke…" Sasuke's body stiffened at the smooth voice._

"_No way."_

_The hood was thrown back to reveal… '_Orobuto? Kabumaru_?" Hinata wondered as she caught sight of a familiar face. "It's you again!" she cried._

_It was really an awful sight to behold. Half Orochimaru, half Kabuto. Sasuke felt his stomach churn at the mere sight of him._

"_What happened to you?" he asked calmly, folding his arms._

_The fusion said nothing as it charged in to attack. "Get ready!" Sasuke yelled, bracing himself in preparation for the oncoming attack._

_End Flashback_

That fight was one of the hardest fights in Sasuke's life. If he didn't have that team, he might have been able to take Orochimaru/Kabuto down. However, the Hyuga and Aburame only managed to get in his way during the majority of it. Okay, he had to admit that during two points they did save his life. Like when the shy Hyuga girl struck one of Orochimaru/Kabuto's chakra points preventing him from finishing his attack which would have ended Sasuke's life. Besides that, they were still useless. In the end, the freak had escaped with a strange grin on its face.

He cringed in pain as he landed too heavily on a branch. His legs felt as though they were on fire. He definitely needed to see Sakura after this. Sasuke felt his lips quirk upwards; it would be nice getting back home. He had some research he needed to do.

"Sasuke-san!" he turned his head to the right to glance at the Hyuga. "K-konoha's up ahead!" she said happily in her squeaky little voice which always managed to make him cringe. Her sweetness and innocence made him look like the devil in comparison.

"Good." He nodded towards her. He could almost feel her beam behind her mask. The poor girl was always looking for some form of approval. He didn't mind giving it to her either, she seemed like the kind of person that he'd like to call friend.

"Let's speed up!" he called back to his anbu team. 'I don't want to be out here any longer!"

"Roger!"

-

-

Gazing out the Hokage's window, Sakura sighed before turning back to her teacher. "Neji-kun said they'd be back home by today." She said softly "What do you think is taking them so long?"

"Like hell if I'd know!" Tsunade slurred from he slumped over position on her desk. Sakura sighed; talking to a drunk Tsunade was about as helpful as talking to Gai about the Birds and the Bees. You end up hearing a lot but all of it is worthless.

"Never mind." She whispered while turning to gaze out the window once more. "I can wait."

She didn't mind waiting in the Hokage's office. The highness of the building gave her an advantage. She could see all over the village. A smile crossed her lips as she caught sight of the only orange wearing shinobi heading towards the ramen stand. "You and that ramen." Her eyes softened as she watched him fondly.

"I'm going to the gate to wait for them. Okay?" she got no response from her drunken teacher. Her gaze shifted over towards Tsunade's exasperated assistant.

"Don't worry!" Shizune smiled weakly "I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, I owe you big."

-

-

Sasuke almost smiled in relief as he reached the village gates. _'Its still afternoon.'_ He felt a little better knowing that they made good timing. He turned to his exhausted team and nodded before entering in.

He barely took one step in before he was tackled by a giant pink blur. "What the-" he managed to gasp out before having the life squeezed out of him.

"You're back!" he opened his eyes to gaze into familiar green orbs. '_Sakura.' _"I'm so glad you're back! You don't know how good it is to know you're home!" she squeezed him some more. His eyes widened as he felt his rib cage give in. Not good.

"Sakura!" he wheezed, "You're killing me."

"Oops!" she loosened her grip and smiled guiltily. Sasuke glanced towards his team who watched him with equal smirks on their face. He just wanted to go inside the village, get healed, go home and do his research quietly. But no… his wife had to make a scene at the village gates, where several people were watching.

"Can you get off me?" she blushed before climbing off his bruised body.

"Sasuke! You're hurt!" she cried in shock, her finger pointed towards his visible injuries as he pulled himself up into a sitting position.

His eye twitched in annoyance. "Yes, I know I'm hurt. Now can you heal me?"

Sakura nodded her head quickly before activating her healing jutsu and slowly patching him up. "Things were real quiet in the house without you." She murmured as she focused on her job "I mean, you're always quiet but things were super quiet. It got to be pretty lonely."

He watched her and nodded. What the heck was he supposed to say?

"I… well what I'm trying to say is…" her blush put Hinata's to shame "I…" her eyes wavered. Sasuke gulped, was shy crying? "I-I missed you…"

He felt his face heat up as the girl blinked tears out of her eyes. Several passerby's stopped to observe the couple. '_Great… just great…'_

"A-and I kn-know it sounds stupid… because we were like enemies…" she hiccupped "B-but I really missed you… and I just…" her voice gave out.

He stretched out a hand awkwardly and patted her back. Inwardly he was killing himself with a kunai '_Pat her back, real smooth.'_

"Sakura…" he said softly before pulling her to him. Emerald green eyes flashed open as she was suddenly surrounded by warmth. She tilted her head up; his dark eyes were filled with uncertainty.

"I… missed you too." Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned against his chest. Shino motioned towards Hinata for her to follow him. She silently obliged, leaving the couple to themselves.

-

-

"…I see..." Tsunade leaned forward on her desk as Sasuke related the entire tale to her. Her hazel eyes narrowed as soon as he mentioned the Orochimaru/Kabuto fusion. So the rumors were true… she remembered the dying man's words and sighed.

"Who seemed more predominant?" she asked tiredly.

"Kabuto. Definitely." Naruto, who stood behind Sasuke, nodded his head. He, Sasuke Sakura, and the two members of Team Eight stood inside the office as they gave their full account.

Tsunade's enormous chest heaved as she gave a heavy sigh. "Things just get better and better…" she sat straight up "Well it seems that he's after the same thing that these lords are." She pulled out a stack of scrolls.

Sakura's eyebrows rose as the scrolls poured off her desk and onto the floor. "Wh-what?" she asked, vocalizing what was on everyone's minds.

The Hokage gave a sadistic smirk as she watched the shinobi's shocked expressions. "An Uchiha."

Sasuke picked up a scroll and read it quickly. He rolled it shut and grunted. Stupid lords.

"What does it say?" Sakura asked, reaching for the discarded scroll. She read it's contents and dropped it on the floor as well, her emerald eyes wide in shock.

The door to the Hokage's office opened as Tenten and Neji entered in. "We're here for our… oh…" Tenten grinned nervously before turning around.

"No." The blonde Hokage stopped them "As friend's of Sasuke and Sakura, I suggest you two stay as well."

The two nodded in unison before stepping forward. "What's in the scrolls?" Tenten pointed to the enormous piles.

"Offers." Sakura, Sasuke, and Tsunade said as one. All three shared the same disgruntled expression.

"For what?"

"An Uchiha of any sort. Preferably their child."

"SAY WHAT?" Tenten shrieked, ripped a scroll open. She read its contents and held it out for her stoic boyfriend to see. His eyes widened visibly "That's… strange…" he managed to say before shaking his head slowly.

The rest of the shinobi took turns looking through each scroll and exclaiming over the ridiculousness of it all. "So are you pregnant?" Tenten inquired innocently while closing her fifth scroll.

A scroll bounced off the back of her head "Okay okay," she shrugged "Can't blame me for asking."

"So what should we do?" Sakura questioned as she passed a scroll to Naruto.

Tsunade shrugged "Like I said before; I can't interfere with clan business and all that crap." Her tone was deadpanned but her eyes filled with concern. "However, I can help ward off Orochimaru."

Sakura gave her teacher her most sincere smile. "That'd be appreciated. I still can't believe all these people already planned out my having a child."

"You'd be surprised how many lords and rulers were after Sasuke. I have a bunch of old scrolls here with offers for him and his brother."

Sakura mentally noted the tension of Sasuke's muscles as he heard mention of his brother. She nodded her head quickly "I guess everyone wants an Uchiha, huh?"

The Hokage gave a rare grin and nodded before telling them to pick up the scrolls. After they had cleaned she sent them out but held Sasuke and Sakura back. "Now, I want you two to start considering having a child. Understand?"

They both glanced at each other and turned pink. "Yes."

"I know it's pretty awkward, but we can't keep Sasuke alive forever. Like it or no, this village needs an Uchiha around. I didn't say you guys have to rush home and jump on each other, although that would be appreciated." Her eyes twinkled mischievously as they turned an even darker shade of pink "However, it would be for the benefit of the village and yourselves that you start considering this. Okay?"

They nodded once more. Sakura whispered a brief goodnight before heading towards the door. "Oh yes, Sakura?"

The pink haired girl paused and turned "Yeah?"

"Make sure that Sasuke gets some rest, okay? You did a great job on his wounds but his body still needs rest." Sakura nodded "You get some rest too."

Smiling, Sakura turned and headed out the door. Tsunade glanced up at the only shinobi remaining. "What do you want?" she asked, wondering why the Uchiha chose to linger around her desk.

"I need to borrow something."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. This was interesting.

-

-

As soon as Sakura got home, she raced inside the kitchen and pulled a plate out of the oven. She had kept it in there to preserve its warmth. Tapping the side, she smiled in relief. It was still warm. She quickly covered it with a napkin and left it in Sasuke's place. She turned and raced upstairs.

A few moments later she heard the sound of Sasuke opening their new door. He paused to look at it appreciatively before catching sight of his plate.

She giggled and covered her mouth before sneaking into her bedroom. This was her first time cooking for him, and she had to admit that she felt a little giddy about the whole thing. Sakura suddenly stopped, her eyes wide. Since when did she get all giddy over Sasuke? She covered her pink cheeks in shock. She couldn't… could she? _'NO! There's no way that I…'_

She quickly blocked out all thoughts and plopped onto the bed. Shutting her eyes, she willed herself to sleep.

-

-

Sakura woke an hour or so later. Sasuke was home, but why wasn't he in his room? She could sense his chakra but it was downstairs. Blinking in confusion and sleepiness she crept downstairs and into one of the side rooms known as 'Sasuke's study'. There he usually wrote down mission reports and did whatever he does best.

She peered in curiously, to see Sasuke with his head on his desk. Beside him were several scrolls. After watching for a moment she could tell that he was sleeping. She crept up to his sleeping form and peered over his shoulder. '_Human Genetics'_ she stared in a sleepy daze. Why would Sasuke be studying that?

Her curiosity got the better of her as she looked over the other scrolls. One was on Haruno family history and information, the other about Uchiha. There were two other scrolls; another one on Human Genetics and a medical scroll about birthing and XY chromosome and how that worked.

Sasuke was… trying to find out what their child would be like. She covered a mouth, but couldn't fully cover the giggle that came out. Sasuke awoke in a snap, his head jerked up and he looked at her. She gasped; even with his hair mussed he was intimidating.

"I…" she fought to hold his gaze "I was wondering why you weren't upstairs."

"Hm…" he ran a hand through his messy hair and yawned. "I fell asleep?" he asked, blinking several times. Sakura fought back a giggle. Sasuke was almost precious when he was sleepy.

She nodded slowly "Yeah. Say, how was your dinner?" she asked, taking advantage of his sleepiness. She noticed that he was very honest when sleepy. Maybe she could get some info out of him before he fully awoke.

"It was… good." He said, still blinking heavily. She smiled.

"That's great, you know I made it right?"

"It's a big change from that other meal you made." He yawned loudly. Sakura inwardly cursed as his eyes became clearer. She saw him instantly change back into his normal stoic mode.

He slowly rose and walked past her, towards the stairs. She followed behind him, her green eyes never loosing sight of him. A sudden roll of thunder caused her to jump in fright. He turned and gave an arrogant smirk. She glowered.

Sasuke headed towards his room and dropped on his bed. Sakura watched as he rolled over, she was about to go inside her room when she heard a sudden 'CRACK". She shrieked in terror, causing Sasuke to cover his ears.

"Its just thunder."

"I know," she whimpered "But it's… so frightening."

He watched her for a moment before rolling over and facing the opposite wall. "Just go to sleep."

A flash of lightening caused her to hold her breath as she awaited the coming bang. She was not disappointed. The lights immediately went out. "Sasuke…" her voice was shaky with fear.

"C-can I … stay with you?' she asked timidly.

The question caught Sasuke by surprise. He stared at the opposite wall as he thought over her question. Most married couples shared a bed anyway, but they were a special case. He also didn't believe that their relationship was strong enough for them to make such a giant leap ahead. Another roll sounded before he could refuse her. He listened as a small whimper emitted from her trembling form.

He sighed "Fine."

Sakura wasted no time in throwing herself beside him. She cocooned herself in her blankets and whispered a brief thanks. They lay like that for a while before:

"Sasuke?"

"What?"

"W-what kind of hobbies do you have?" she asked timidly.

He rolled over to glare at her. She seemed to find his glare amusing as she continued, "I mean, I already know that one of them includes knocking out teenage girls to betray your village and join gay old men." His glare intensified "But, what do you do for fun?"

"I don't have fun."

Her eyes widened "Never?"

He rolled over with his back facing her; he silently hoped that she'd let the topic drop. She didn't. He felt her finger poke his back. "Sasuke, do you NEVER have fun?"

"Depends on what you define as 'fun'" came his clipped reply.

Sakura's eyes never left her husbands back. Never have fun? She had never heard of such a thing before. She couldn't help but pity the Uchiha. In all his life of avoiding fan girls and wanting revenge he never had time for fun.

A sudden resolution caused her chest to swell up. She knew now that she could not let this go by unheeded. Sasuke would have fun no matter what.

"Let's go out tomorrow."

"What?" he seemed to ask that question a lot whenever he was around her.

She sucked in her breath "You heard me," her green eyes were earnest "we're going out tomorrow. We'll pick different places and stuff."

"Why?"

She looked at him with the most innocent expression she could muster. "Because, we never do anything together. C'mon, it'll be fun!" A huge grin spread across her delicate features.

Sasuke narrowed his dark eyes at her. The effect as lost in the dark. He let out a slow sigh "Fine."

"Yay! We'll have fun, believe it! We can go to different places, maybe catch a movie, go out for dinner, train together, it'll be great! We can even-"

Sasuke rolled over and covered his head with his pillow as she prattled on. He was already starting to regret it.

**End Chapter**

**Wow I'm so glad that I got that chapter out. I really enjoyed writing it, I just hope you guys enjoy reading it. I couldn't resist the call of SasuSaku. Something was telling me to add a little fluff. Don't expect it in every chapter now –points finger warningly- **

**Okay, my goal this time is… 180 or more reviews. –grins- please and thank you! So if you want me to update review! Or I'll never update again –evil laugh- **


	13. Chapter 13

WHAT AM I DOING? I don't know… but something my brother said made me doubt my abilities for a while. I feel really… down. I really am wasting my life writing fan fictions… -sighs- Whatever, let's get this over with. And now I present, Chapter 13!!!

Brief thanks to LuNaSoLeIl123, Kaoru, Anbu Inu, mimuri, xXNejiluverXx , waveblader213, bL.oWF.isH-P.E.a.C.H , and everybody else who reviewed –forgets name- thanks so much!

**Disclaimer: I have no life –sighs- Uh, I don't own Naruto either…I n case you were wondering…**

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"Ooh! This is so cute, don't you think? What about this? Or this? C'mon Sasuke-kun, you have to like ONE of these!"

Uchiha Sasuke groaned before turning to face Sakura who was looking at him with an innocent expression on her face. She smiled brightly before holding up a dress. "Well? Red or purple?"

His eye twitched. Why did he agree to do this again? Oh yeah, because she was scared. He couldn't help but feel pity for her the night before, but now that that was over he was starting to get annoyed. Seriously, what was with women and shopping? He looked down at his usual fighting outfit. He had about eight of them at home, so he didn't need anything else.

"…Red…" Sasuke said in a bored voice. He really didn't care; he only chose red because it was the color of his Sharingan. Speaking of which he felt his eyes changing and quickly calmed himself down. He willed himself not to kill his enthusiastic wife.

"Now we have to get you something that matches it!" she cried gleefully before diving into a pile of clothes. She threw the ones she didn't like aside until the whole floor was strewn with discarded clothing items. His eye twitched again. Other shoppers were starting to stare.

"THIS!" she cried triumphantly while holding up a red and white training outfit, similar to his usual set. "Try it on! Go!" she shoved him into the dressing room.

Smiling at her husband's flying figure, Sakura turned to her pile of purchases with a contented look. Shopping was fun.

-

-

Sasuke's eye twitched for the fiftieth time that day as Sakura tried to convince him to try out some ice cream. They both stood outside an ice cream stand arguing while the vendor rolled his eyes. "Can you just decide already?" he sighed.

"NO!" they both yelled at the man, startling him before turning back to arguing.

"Just try it! Please?"

"No!"

"Please?"

He gave her his famous 'Uchiha death glare'. Unfortunately it had no effect on the pink haired woman. She rolled her eyes, "Are you through yet?"

Sasuke turned around and began walking away. Her finger snagged the back of his collar. "Why won't you eat any ice cream?" she asked, folding her arms.

"I don't eat sweets."

She shook her head despairingly "It doesn't mean that you can't experiment with new things. Who knows, you might actually like it. Here, I'll order ice cream for both of us. If you don't like it, I'll eat it and I won't force you again. Deal?"

"Hn."

She eyed him strangely 'I guess that's a yes…" Sakura whirled around on the impatient vendor "Two strawberry cups please!"

Her green eyes twinkled merrily as the man shoved the cups toward them with a grunt. Grabbing two spoons she passed a cup and a spoon to an upset Sasuke. "Eat up!" she grinned as she strolled towards a nearby bench.

He moodily sat himself down beside her. His dark eyes observed as she scooped out a spoonful and raised it to her lips. Sighing in defeat, he repeated her actions. Sasuke's eyes opened wide as he spat the contents out.

Sakura made a face. "Yeah, I get what you mean…" she crinkled her nose "This is pretty bad." She relieved him of his cup and tossed it into a garbage can.

She leaned back on the bench and tilted her head up. She let out a low sigh. Sasuke raised an eyebrow before repeating her actions.

"Sorry about that." She shrugged guiltily "Their strawberry ice cream tastes like crap. It's nothing like the stuff from before."

Sasuke watched her briefly before observing people passing by. "Hn?"

"We used to get really good strawberry ice cream." Sakura continued, "It was imported from this village called Kaoru. Weird name huh? Well apparently this small village was named after a famous hero. Anyways, they were known for their awesome strawberry ice cream. Mom used to get it all the time, she and I would eat it every Sunday." Her eyes softened at the memory.

"I remember being in love with that ice cream. It was really expensive though; I always wondered how she got it. I guess I know now…" she gave him a secretive smirk before continuing, "We never get it any more, but that was my favorite dessert. I stopped eating to impress you. I haven't eaten it in years."

Sasuke listened to the tale with the usual patience of an Uchiha. Inwardly he wondered why she was ranting on and on about strawberry ice cream.

He shrugged "Aa."

Sakura suddenly turned on him with an angry glare. "Can't you say anything more than that? I mean, here I am trying my hardest and all you can say is 'No, hn, Red, and Aa'?" She stood up suddenly, her eyes blazing in fury. "What is wrong with you? Do you have some kind of social defect or something?"

He gazed up at her coolly before shrugging. "I don't know, do I?"

"I swear, you-"

He raised a hand "Stop talking. You're giving me a headache."

She sat down, gazing at him incredulously. She let out a strained laugh. "That's how you've always been, isn't it? It's always been about me, me, me! Poor little Uchiha Sasuke!" Her voice was raised as she began doing a mimicry of him "'My clan got wiped out, I have to kill Itachi! Waah waah!"

He jumped to his feet, his eyes bleeding red. "Shut up!"

"Why? Because I'm annoying? Because it's the truth?" she shrieked, tears now ran a path down her petite face. "You… you're so…" she shook her head before rising up and running off.

Sasuke watched her retreating form, his face still expressionless. Passerby's eyed him before continuing on.

"S-sasuke-san?" He recognized the voice of the stuttering Hyuga heiress. Her eyes were wide in fear and concern. "I-is everything…" he turned towards where she stood beside him nervously.

"I-I… a-are you al-alright?" she poked her fingers together slowly. He raised an eyebrow as if to say 'what do you think?' Her pale cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"Do- I mean, d-do…" she took a deep breath before starting over again. "D-do you wa-want to talk abo-about it?"

"…Yeah …"

-

-

"Forehead-girl… what's wrong?" Yamanaka Ino approached her haggard looking friend who was collapsed on the ground in a sobbing heap. Sakura's face was buried in her arms as she lay spread across the ground in a nearby park. Ino crouched down beside her friend's head. "Hello?"

"Go away." Came the muffled voice. Ino sighed and shook her head slowly. She reached over carefully and poked her friend's side.

"Sakura."

"Go away."

More poking.

"Saaaakura…." She dragged out her friend's name playfully. Her pokes grew harder. "Come on, get up already!"

"Go AWAY!" Sakura swatted at the blonde's hand before shoving her aside. "I just want to be left alone, okay?"

Ino let out a dramatic sigh. She bent her head down beside Sakura's. "What's wrong?" she asked sweetly while batting eyes innocently.

"Nothing."

"Well… you usually don't flop down and cry at random." Ino poked her friend's forehead. "Let's go."

"Go?" Sakura wiped a few stray tears with the back of her hand. "Go where?"

Ino gave a bright smile "You'll see!"

-

-

Sakura struggled to keep up with her friend's steady march. After ending on that cryptic note, the blonde marched off leaving Sakura to follow. She jogged to catch up with her. "Seriously, where are we going?"

Ino put a finger to her lips playfully. She winked before picking up her pace.

"Inooo!" Sakura whined while breaking out into a jog. This was seriously starting to annoy her. She hated not knowing stuff, which is why she extended her knowledge. Knowledge was power. Her green eyes narrowed at her friend who answered her glare with a steady grin.

"Curious huh?"

"Yes! Very!" Sakura huffed.

Ino giggled before breaking out into a run, leaving her pink haired friend behind. "INO!" the blonde laughed at her friend's reaction. She closed her eyes and focused her chakra on her feet, automatically boosting her speed. She reached her hand up and untied her ponytail, letting her hair swing free. Ino enjoyed the feel of her hair swinging behind her. She let out a victorious laugh before running faster.

Sakura watched her friend pick up speed before repeating her actions. There was no way that she'd lose! Gritting her teeth in determination, she pushed harder.

-

-

Ino came to a sudden halt at the bridge where Team 7 usually met up. She leaned abruptly on the railing, overlooking the water below. Sakura caught up with her.

"Ino?" she questioned in between puffs. Her friend replied with a smirk before turning back towards the stream. Sakura raised an eyebrow before joining her friend in leaning against the railing. Her emerald eyes swept over the landscape appreciatively. This was always one of her favorite spots. It brought back memories, both good and bad.

"Ino? Is this… it?" her eyes were filled with confusion. After all the secretive talk, this was it? She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.

The blonde nodded her head. "Yup! Nice isn't it?"

"Ino…" she looked at her, now fully confused. "I don't get it."

"What's the matter? I thought you could fit everything into that big forehead of yours!" Ino stuck her tongue out playfully.

"I know, it's just that…"

Ino heaved a giant sigh before turning to fully face her pink haired friend. "Are you calm yet?"

"Calm?"

Her friend gave her a look. She quickly nodded her head. Ino smiled "Good. That's what I wanted."

Sakura looked baffled "So the run was…"

"A stress reliever. Running always helps me calm down."

Sakura's mouth formed a small 'o'. She nodded her head slowly as realization dawned on her. A small smile formed on her lips. "Thanks." Her friend responded with a smile of her own.

"Look, forehead…" the blonde began "You got into a fight with Sasuke didn't you?" Sakura nodded her head.

"How did you-" she was cut off by Ino waving a hand in her face.

"Don't ask, I just know these things. Now, before you get all angry at him again I want you to think."

"Think?" Sakura leaned towards her friend, her emerald eyes filled with wonder.

"Yeah," Ino's blue eyes shone brightly "you can't get all dramatic on Sasuke. He doesn't do dramatics, even YOU should know that!"

"How did you-"

"I have my ways." Ino said quickly with shifty eyes "Just listen. Sasuke is… a man of few words. You can't expect him to talk without loosening him up some."

Sakura nodded, she thought on how close they were the night before. He seemed almost normal. Almost.

"It's not just that," Sakura said softly "He just hasn't changed. Six years ago he was the same way, he'd start to warm up and then cut you off completely. He's doing the same thing now."

"Either that, or he just isn't used to so many emotions!" Ino cried impatiently. She shook her friend's shoulder while she yelled in her face "YOU CAN'T EXPECT HIM TO BE LIKE NARUTO! HE'S HIS OWN PERSON! YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT AND THEN SLOWLY ALLOW CHANGE!"

Sakura's eyes were wide as her friend screamed in her ear.

The blonde visibly calmed "But for now, help him to feel."

Green eyes met with blue in a moment of understanding. Both girls shared equal smiles on their faces. "Ino, thanks. You're the best."

Ino grinned cockily "Yeah, I know I am."

-

-

"S-sasuke-san…" Hinata said softly as the Uchiha finished his abbreviated version of the previous incident. She closed her eyes in concentration before speaking. "I-I ta-think you co-could be a little ea-easier on S-Sakura-Chan."

He raised an eyebrow. Somehow the thought of receiving 'love' advice from the shy Hyuga humored him. He couldn't erase the amused smirk that was etched on his handsome features.

"She's a very e-emotional p-person…" she continued "A-and it hu-hurt her to h-have to m-marry you. Sh-she's in a b-bad position right now."

"How?" his brief question caused her to jump in surprise. Her eyes slowly softened.

"Think about it." The fact that the Hyuga said a whole sentence without stuttering caught Sasuke by surprise. "She's f-forced into marrying s-someone she doesn't like, things go up and down for her, a-and you barely t-talk. She doe-doesn't show it o-often but it really hurts her, right here." She placed a hand on her chest as she spoke.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. So he wasn't the only one who was feeling that way. The marriage really did put a huge strain on him, both emotionally and physically. His dark eyes traveled up towards Hinata's pale face.

"Hn…. " He closed his eyes as he thought about it. When his eyes opened he saw that the Hyuga was watching him intently.

"W-well?"

He smirked as he rose to his feet. "Thanks."

-

-

It was evening by the time that Sakura got home. She had spent the rest of the afternoon with her best friend and her fiancé. She smiled; Ino was happier than she had ever seen her. She wished only the best for her best friend's engagement.

Opening the new door to the Uchiha manor, she let out a small sigh. Ino's words rang through her mind. She would have to give it a try. Sakura's green eyes flashed determinedly, there was no way that she'd give up.

She was so caught up in her thoughts, that she didn't notice Sasuke standing in front of her until she bumped into him. She let out a squeak as she stumbled back a few steps. "S-sasuke!"

Sasuke's dark eyes seemed to bore into hers as he stared down at her. "Sakura."

She brushed herself off as a diversion as she studied his face out of the corner of her eye. What could he want? She wondered if he was mad at her.

"Sakura," he said again, fully catching her attention. "Let's go."

Her eyes widened, this again? "Go where?" she asked softly.

This time, it was Sasuke smirking instead of Ino. "Out."

-

-

Sakura had to admit, she was very surprised with Sasuke's sudden boldness. After following him across Konoha for a few minutes, she found herself seated at a popular sushi restaurant. She absentmindedly twirled her sushi on her chopsticks as she questioned Sasuke's motives. Was he apologizing? Was he trying to pull an apology out of her? On the other hand, maybe he forgot? Her mind raced.

Sasuke seemed to notice that. He smirked before catching her attention "Sakura."

She looked up sharply "Yes?"

"Eat."

"Oh." She quickly grabbed a piece of sushi and stuffed it in her mouth. Sakura took her time in chewing as she watched Sasuke carefully. Sooner or later his stoic mask would crack, and then she would read his intentions.

Before any of that could happen, he surprised her by speaking first. "Listen," he said wearily while running a hand through his hair "We can't go on like this."

"Huh?"

"Gai was… Gai was right." He said through gritted teeth. Admitting that the spandex clad man was right was a difficult task for anyone excluding Rock Lee. "This marriage is a team effort. We both need to work towards this."

Sakura couldn't have been any more surprised. She waited for him to laugh and yell "JUST KIDDING!" but then again, this was Sasuke not Naruto.

"Yeah, and?" she asked coolly, hoping that she could catch his meaning.

"I don't love you." He said bluntly. The words hit her like a dagger. Sure, she knew this already but to hear this coming from him was pretty painful. "I doubt that I could ever actually 'love' you. But that doesn't mean that we cannot get along."

"So…" she watched his face for any sign of lying "you're saying since we're not 'in love' we should at least try to keep a certain level of peace?"

He nodded "Yes. Exactly."

During that moment, smiling was one of the most difficult tasks in her life. It struck Sakura as odd, that she would have so much trouble in smiling. She was known for her sunny smile which could brighten anyone's day. She smiled at anyone who came her way. Yet right now, after hearing Sasuke's words she couldn't even lift the corners of her mouth.

"Alright then…" she did her best to keep her voice optimistic. After much struggling, she managed a half-hearted smile "I won't be so whiny and you won't be such a prick. Deal?"

Sasuke gave a friendly smirk. "Deal."

-

-

**End Chapter**

A/N: Ah spamola, it was a short, meaningless chapter wasn't it? –Hides- sorry I ran out of inspiration. You see, my mean older bro said I'm wasting my time and talent on Naruto fan fictions. It really broke my heart. I almost gave up altogether. Somehow reading your reviews made me feel so much better, so I decided to do a chapter. –Smiles- thank you! You don't know how much your encouragement means to me!

**Oh, also note how their relationship is kinda like a roller coaster. They go up, and then down, and up, then down, etc. That's how love really is believe me. Okay, so I've never been in a real relationship so what! –shifty eyes-**

**The goal is 205+ reviews. Please and thank you! Also, if you actually read my author's note add 'Spamola' at the beginning or end of your review. I'm not kidding. It's a great idea, that way I know if anyone cares or not.**


	14. Chapter 14

Yeah I know, it took me long enough to update, sorry. Thanks for all the reviews! I'm actually surprised how many people said Spamola. Spamola is my favorite word, even though it doesn't exist. Still, I wanted to know how many people ACTUALLY READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES. It's weird, but even people who didn't say 'Spamola' mentioned that thing about my brother… 0.o Thanks for the encouragement you guys are the best, next time he makes fun of my writing I'll just tell him to bite me.

I apologize for the super long delay. I was having MAJOR technical problems and was unable to update. Thankfully, I am able now and I just wanna say that I love you guys. –hearts-

Oh yeah, a SPECIAL thanks to someone by the name of FL. I don't know if that's your sn or not, but thank you so very much! You rock! I was so happy when you helped me out. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am forever in your debt! Seriousely. Thank you! Without him/her I woulda never got this chapter out! THANK YOU! –hearts-

**Disclaimer: I still own Neji, he is mine… all mine. **

**-**

**-**

The cold night breeze swept past Sakura causing her to involuntarily shudder before taking another sip of her drink. She was half-leaning on the counter as she ordered another one. Drinking was a bad habit she had picked up from her teacher. Still, it wasn't something she did often… only when she was depressed or suffering from large amounts of stress.

Sakura's green eyes were clouded and half focused as she downed another sip of her sake. "Bring another one!" she waved her glass, catching the attention of the waitress.

"Coming!" the girl chirped while serving another patron. She quickly bustled towards Sakura's figure. "What's wrong Sakura?" the girl, Aiko asked patiently while slowly pouring sake into her glass. "You never drink this much unless something bad has happened."

"Nothing." Sakura grumbled, "I just needed a break… that's all."

Aiko nodded condescendingly and bid her farewell as she stripped off her uniform. She jumped over the counter and walked towards a young man with dark brown hair who was waiting for her. He kissed her cheek before allowing her to loop her arm in his. Sakura enviously watched as the two walked off together, lost in their own little world.

Sighing Sakura leaned her face against the counter. Life was depressing. After her talk with Sasuke she went home and rested until she was sure that Sasuke was sound asleep. She then put all her training to use and snuck past the Sharingan wielder. Twenty minutes later, here she was drinking Sake as though her life depended on it.

"Sakura-Chan!" the voice of her blonde teammate said from behind her. "What are you doing out this late? And drunk?"

She didn't even bother to look as he shook her shoulder furiously. "Sakura-Chan!" he yelled.

Sakura winced God his voice was loud. She swung her arm carelessly "Go away." She mumbled drunkenly "Leave me 'lone.

"What's wrong? You usually don't drink unless-"

"I said go away!" This time she punched with all her strength, stunning her teammate. He rubbed his sore cheek. His azure eyes were filled with confusion.

"Sakura-Chan…" he said softly while seating himself beside her. He propped himself up by his elbow to look her full in the face. "Sasuke troubles?"

She shook her head slowly while downing another glass. 'I don't want to talk about it."

"Well I do. I don't want you to end up like Granny Tsunade." His voice held genuine concern. Sakura felt a soft smile spread across her lips.

"I won't. I promise."

Naruto gave his best fox grin before signaling a waiter. "This young lady is ready to leave! Can we have the bill please?"

Once it was presented, Naruto's eyes grew huge. "5,000 ryo!?!" he yelled "Sakura-Chan, how much did you DRINK?!?"

She shrugged "What can I say? I hold my liquor very well."

Reluctantly, Naruto pulled out his frog wallet and paid the tab. Once they left he grumbled something about a starving Froggy. Sakura smirked at him as she leaned on him for support. Her head spun slightly as she took another step. She definitely needed to lay off the booze for a while.

She spotted Neji from a distance and gave him a halfhearted wave as her best friend/teammate dragged her through the streets of Konoha.

"Listen, if you're going to go on a drinking spree could you at least do it sometime earlier when you're husband is around?" Naruto growled as he shifted Sakura a little more comfortably against his body.

The pink haired girl smirked at the back of her best friend's head. She could tell that he felt uncomfortable saying the word 'husband'. "Yeah, yeah…" her eyes softened as she thought of what happened earlier that day.

'_I don't love you.'_

'_I doubt that I could ever actually love you.'_

She gritted her teeth. Him saying those words hurt more than she thought they would. Sure they weren't in love, but didn't he feel anything at all? Didn't he feel the same flutter in his chest when he saw her walking by that she did? Sakura's free fist clenched tightly as she thought on her emotions. She didn't love him either… or did she? This was all too confusing and being drunk didn't help at all.

"Naruto-kun?"

Naruto paused mid-step. "Yeah?"

"Do you…" she knew that this question was wrong but she needed to know. "Do you… love me?"

Sakura's hazy eyes widened as his body tensed. She felt him tremble slightly as the thoughts poured in and out of his mind. "Sakura-Chan… why do you ask?" he asked slowly.

"I-I need to know." She turned to him, her emerald eyes suddenly serious.

He nodded his head carefully "Sakura-Chan, you know that I've always loved you. You mean everything to me."

"As a sister, or something else?"

His blue eyes narrowed. "… Something else…" the words came out as a half-mutter but she caught every word. She gave him a soft smile.

"Naruto-kun…" Sakura quickly wrapped her arms around the fox-boy. His eyes widened in shock as he turned to face her. "Sakura?"

"Shhh…" she put a finger to his lips before fully embracing him. Deep down inside, she felt guilty for doing this. She knew that it would only mess with Naruto's emotions. However, Sakura needed to feel this… she needed to feel loved for the moment.

-

-

The next two weeks were easier for Sakura after that. True to their word, they tried there hardest to get along. Sasuke even helped her with dinner once or twice. She on the other hand lent him several jutsu scrolls that she found lying around the Hokage's office and helped with his training. They didn't spend too much time together, but both treasured the moments that they did spend.

Sasuke spent a lot of time on missions or studying human genetics. Sakura even helped him; they did discover one thing though. The odds of their son being pink haired was 1 out of 10 seeing that pink hair only ran in the female Haruno's. Sasuke was very relieved to hear that.

Being an anbu captain, Sakura also spent much time on missions. She spent a fair amount of time doing shorter missions. The Hokage did not want her newly married pupil to spend too much time away from her husband. It was strange, but Sakura was used to being called 'Anbu Captain Uchiha.' One time when a genin fan of hers yelled 'Captain Haruno!" she quickly replied without mission a beat 'Uchiha, Anbu captain Uchiha.'

Somehow saying that she was an Uchiha caused a weird swelling up feeling in her chest. It usually resulted with her heartbeat quickening and her cheeks tinting pink.

Those strange feeling confused the said girl as she walked down the streets of Konoha hauling an armload of books and paperwork. She paused to lean against a building for rest, the strain of the books pulling on her arms. Ordinarily she would use her chakra to strengthen herself, but her mind was too foggy to comprehend doing so.

"Why do I do that whenever I say Uchiha?" she asked. Her cheeks turned pink again "Ah crap. Not again."

Sakura ducked her head, hoping that her pink locks would cover her equally pink cheeks. She gritted her teeth as she pushed herself forward and began walking once more, the stack of paperwork wobbling as she went.

"No don't fall!" she yelled causing several people to give her strange looks. "Yes! That's a good stack of paper… NO! I SAID DON'T FALL! AAHHH!!!" she ran from side to side in a weak attempt to keep the stack balanced.

Before anything could happen, she felt the load leave her arms. She winced, waiting for the sound of books dropping on the ground. After a minute of standing with her eyes shut she suddenly realized that they hadn't fallen. Her eyes opened slowly and met with dark orbs.

"Sakura."

'_My cheeks are turning pink, not again!'_ she forced a smile up at her husband who raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you yelling in the middle of Konoha with a stack of papers?" he asked while carefully balancing the said pile with one arm.

'_Show off!'_

"Um, no reason?"

"…right…"

She tilted her head to the side and glared at Sasuke who gave a small shrug. "Whatever. Where do these go?"

Sakura barely noticed him talking as she reviewed her previous feelings before. What was it that made her feel all giddy around Sasuke?

"…Huh?"

He used his free arm to grasp her chin, resulting in her turning even pinker. Either he didn't notice or didn't care because he continued speaking. "I said, where do these go?"

"T-the Hokage's o-office…" she cursed her stuttering and prayed that Sasuke didn't notice. He gave an 'hn' before heading in that direction, leaving a stunned Sakura behind. She snapped out of her reverie and broke out into a run.

"Sasuke! Wait, I'll go with you!"

He turned to her, his gaze showed that he was slightly annoyed. "I can handle it. I don't need you to hold my hand Sakura."

'_Not unless you want me too.'_

"Huh?" he asked, his eyes widening.

'_Oh crap! Did I just say that out loud? No no nooooo! My life is over!'_

"Uh…" her mind desperately searched for a loophole. "I said… uh… Kami eats fish too!"

He eyed her strangely before turning his back to her. "…Okay…" his voice showed that he didn't believe her. Before she could face any more embarrassment Sakura immediately turned heel and ran as fast as her feet could take her.

'_I need to see Tenten or Ino… and fast!'_

_-_

_-_

She ran into Tenten and Neji on her way towards Ino's house. Taking a deep breath, Sakura turned to face her friends.

"Guys, I need help!" she hated asking for advice like this, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Tenten leapt across the road to clamp a hand over Sakura mouth. "Not here out in public!" she hissed into her friend's ear "Meet us up at the 10th training ground. Go!"

The two ninja quickly disappeared leaving a confused Sakura. "Everyone's gone crazy!"

-

-

At the training ground she found her two friends sitting side by side, their legs crossed in meditation. Tenten's brown eyes immediately opened upon the appearance of her pink-haired friend. She gave a creepy smile "Tell me all about it!" she screamed making Neji cover his ears.

"I-I don't know where to begin…" Sakura confessed shyly.

Neji gritted his teeth as he tested his hearing in his left ear "You can start at the part where I kill a certain loudmouth."

Tenten grinned and pinched his cheek playfully. "Start wherever you think it's best."

Nodding, Sakura seated herself across from her two friends. She noticed their interaction with a twinge of envy. "It started two weeks ago when Sasuke told me he didn't love me."

Tenten gasped dramatically "THE FIEND! HE MUST DIE!" she jumped up with fire in her eyes. Grinning dementedly she drew out a kunai and charged off. Neji sighed and caught her by the back of the collar.

Sakura's eye twitched "Anyways, at first I didn't think it would matter. But when he said those words, they cut me real deep. I was depressed. Afterwards whenever I saw him I would get those old fluttery fan girl feelings back. What does it mean?"

Neji and Tenten's eyes met. The two sighed in unison and rolled their eyes. Sakura watched the two in confusion "What does that mean?" she demanded.

They shook their heads, feigning innocence. "Nothing besides the fact that you-"

"ARE A BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOM!" Sakura, Neji, and Tenten's eyes widened. Neji slapped his own forehead "Didn't I tell you to tie him up?" he hissed to Tenten.

Her chocolate eyes widened innocently "I thought I did!"

"SAKURA, ALLOW ME THE HONOR OF A DATE!" There was a giant poof of smoke, as soon as it cleared Sakura groaned.

Lee opened his mouth to give his usual 'pinging' smile. Tenten and Sakura fell back as they were struck with a blinding flash of light.

"MY EYES! MY BEAUTIFUL BROWN EYES!"

"IT BURNS US! IT BURNS US!"

Neji shielded his eyes with his arm and squinted from behind it. "LEE!" he roared while carefully shielding himself "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO WITH YOUR TEETH!"

Lee continued grinning, obviously pleased with its effect. The bright light radiating from his teeth could be seen from miles off. His smile slowly faltered. Tenten and Sakura panted on the ground. "Naruto-kun told me that if I used Lysol on my teeth that it would add on to its youthfulness." The youth declared protectively "It worked did it not?"

"LYSOL!?!" his three friends screamed while still recovering from the shock. "AND YOU LISTENED TO HIM?"

"Yes! If it will make me any more like Gai-sensei, I am willing to do anything!" he struck a good guy pose and opened his mouth to smile again.

"NO!" Sakura, Tenten, and Neji tackled him desperately.

His large round eyes grew even larger as he was driven several feet into the ground. "Sakura! Please save me!" he cried.

"NO! Not unless you stop smiling!" Sakura had a hand faintly covering his mouth, preventing any more flashes.

"You have my word." He gave the good guy pose from on the ground and attempted to smile but his mouth was instantly filled with dirt.

"Oopf!"

The three slowly crawled off him, allowing him to spit out the dirt and wipe his shiny teeth. Lee smiled with his mouth closed as he faced Sakura.

"As I was saying before, allow me the privilege of taking you on a date!"

Sakura's eye twitched violently. A vein throbbed on her right temple. "No stinking way, I'm married remember?"

"Ah yes, that is a fact that I did not overlook." He stated while confidently giving her the thumbs up "It can be a 'friendly date' can it not?"

Neji rolled his gray eyes while brushing off his Hyuga robes. "Lee."

"Yes?"

"Shut up. We were talking about Sakura's problems before you came in with your shiny teeth." His voice was tight as his gray eyes narrowed violently at the youthful lad. Neji turned to Sakura and nodded encouragingly "As we were about to say, Sakura… you feel for him."

"I do?" she blinked her large green eyes in surprise.

"SHE DOES?" Lee bellowed causing Neji to cover his ears once more. The Hyuga rose up, ready to kill Lee. The spandex clad man was unaware of his teammate's hatred as he bounced around joyously. "THAT IS WONDERFUL! Tell me, do you plan on having children?"

Sakura's cheeks turned pink once more. Tenten gave her a knowing smile. "Um… everyone tries to get us to. I suppose we should…" she covered her cheeks with her palms.

"If so," Lee continued, "Have an even amount of children."

His three friends blinked in unison. "Why?"

Lee began to smile but was quickly stopped as Tenten slapped a hand over his mouth and gave him a warning glare. "That way, you can name half of them Rock and the other half Lee!" he managed to pull away from Tenten and give another blinding smile.

"LEE!"

"AAAHHH I'M BLIND!"

"DAMMIT LEE!"

-

-

Still rubbing her eyes, Sakura half-stumbled through the streets of Konoha. Her mind replayed the previous events minus the Lee incident; her eyes still smarted from that.

'_You care for him.'_

She stopped in the street and looked down thoughtfully. "That's true…" she said to herself "I've always cared for him. So that doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"FOREHEAD GIRL!"

She turned to see her best friend and her fiancé' seated at a tea shop. Ino was waving madly, her blue eyes as bright and cheerful as ever. Sakura returned her friend's smile.

"Hey, I was just looking for you!" she ran over and seated herself across the table from them. Shikamaru muttered a 'hey' before returning to his Green Tea. Sakura crinkled her nose; she never really liked Green Tea. She preferred more so exotic flavors.

"Looking for me?" Ino questioned while propping both elbows up on the table. "Is it another mission?"

Sakura shook her head "No, I need some advice."

"Lemme guess…" Shikamaru said with a half sigh "Sasuke advice?"

She blushed and nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"Do you want some tea?" he drawled while leaning back against the chair. Sakura nodded once more and then ordered some tea.

"So…" Ino began, her voice teasing, "What is it this time?"

Sakura blushed, a stupid habit she had picked up lately. Sighing she related out the same thing she had said to Neji and Tenten. Ino listened carefully, hanging onto her every word. While Shikamaru looked like he wasn't even listening.

Once she was finished she found that her cheeks were pinker than ever. However, she felt better having got all that off her chest. She looked to her friend's for an answer.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow before turning to his fiancé "Do I tell her or do you?"

Sakura blinked in surprise "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Ino looked at Shikamaru and smiled. "Oh I dunno," she said teasingly "It's kinda hard how some things just don't sink into her head. She's so annoying that way."

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT?" Sakura slammed her fist on the table, alerting most of the patrons.

Ino heaved a dramatic sigh "You. Have. A. Crush. On. Him." She said slowly, poking her friend's forehead with each word.

The pink haired girl's emerald eyes widened to amazing lengths "W-what?"

Shikamaru heaved an equally dramatic sigh and rolled his dark brown eyes skyward. He tugged at the edge of his chuunin vest. "Are you deaf or something?"

"N-no it's just that… I-I mean…"

He sighed again "Troublesome."

"Exactly Shika-kun." Ino nodded her head in agreement "I couldn't have said it better myself!"

"B-but!" Sakura sputtered, "I can't have a crush on my husband! That's ridiculous and illogical! You guys aren't making any sense at all."

The engaged couple rolled their eyes in unison and muttered a 'troublesome'. They were obviously spending way too much time together. "Just admit it forehead girl, you have a crush on Sasuke. Again. The best thing to do is admit it instead of obsessing over it."

Sakura's eyes widened as her friend's logic sunk into her. She nodded her head slowly as if in a daze. "It still doesn't make any sense though."

Shikamaru and Ino had both risen up and paid their tabs. Ino just smiled at her friend and jogged off leaving her fiancé. He shook his head "Love never does." With that, he left following the bouncing blonde. Sakura watched the happy couple walk off.

"I should…" she lowered her head in thought, her pink locks brushing against her teacup. "I should tell Sasuke like Ino said."

With sudden determination, the green eyed woman stood up and marched off towards Sasuke and home.

-

-

She found her stoic husband at the kitchen table surrounded by scrolls. One of them was obviously a mission report that was overdue. Taking a deep breath Sakura approached him. She noticed that a few of her old medical scrolls were there. She had forgotten to clean them up that morning.

"S-sasuke… I have something to tell you." She silently prayed that he wouldn't laugh in her face or reject her.

He looked up from his scroll and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes. I-" her courage began to falter. '_NOT GOOD!' _

Sasuke watched her with growing interest. She usually didn't bother him like this unless it was something important. He watched as her eyes flickered from side to side in a motion of desperation. Whatever the news was, it was making her uncomfortable. He leaned forward slightly and touched her arm. She jumped back as though touched with a red hot iron.

"Sorry." She mumbled quickly while still searching for some form of escape. "I-I have…"

"You have." He urged her on, his curiosity now stirred.

Sakura's green eyes caught sight of a medical scroll that addressed an interesting disease topic. She quickly used that topic "RABIES!" she yelled suddenly "I HAVE RABIES!"

Sasuke looked at her in confusion. "Rabies?" he asked slowly, wondering what she had to drink that evening.

"Uh… yes, foaming at the mouth and all that… uh…" she felt really stupid "And ah… better have that checked, heh heh. Bye!" She quickly ran off leaving a confused Sasuke behind.

"Rabies?"

-

-

Meanwhile somewhere outside of Konoha…

"I see… so that Haruno girl is his weakness eh?" a figure said to himself from his position high in a tree. "We'll just have to take care of that won't we?"

-

-

**End Chapter**

**-smile- alright let it out. What did you think of this chapter? It was extra silly I know, most of these ideas came from my two muses. So please give a hand to my cat Angel and the dishes. Weird but washing dishes gives me inspirations like this.**

**Oh to answer a review from mm08 (I'm keeping you semi-anonymous). : I do not plan on making any sudden 'kiss scenes'. Like I said before, things take time. This story won't go on that much longer so there'll probably be one soon. But there is no way that I'm going to rush this. I'm glad that you like my story and I love hearing your opinion, but it goes against my morals to speed things up. Don't worry though, you will not be disappointed. I promise.**

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews! Nikki is back in action baby! Oh yes to monkey-kid: Your idea is great and I plan on using it some time in the future. I'll get back to you on it, okay? **

**The goal this time is 280+ reviews. Please and thank you!**


	15. Chapter 15

It's me… again. –Sighs- I guess I should update again. This chapter isn't gonna be as lighthearted as Ch14 since well I need to move along with the plot and all. I didn't even know that I had a plot until a few weeks ago. I hope it isn't dull, or cliché, or boring…

**Thanks a ton to all my reviewers and those who pm'ed me. You guys are my real inspiration (besides dishes, boredom, and my cat Angel lolz). Oh an extra special thanks to Darkmoon1025. Your pm almost made me cry. That's a great feat since I rarely cry. I love you guys!!!**

**Disclaimer: I say we all protest against disclaimers on Who's with me? –silence- Well, I'll always have Neji-kun. –Hugs Neji-**

**-**

**-**

"Sakura, you're drinking again?"

Sakura tilted her head up and squinted at her former trainer, the Fifth Hokage who was currently towering over her with her hands on her hips.

"And people say I'm bad!" the said Hokage huffed angrily while pulling up a stool beside her pupil.

Sakura waved her hand for another drink. Tsunade quickly slammed that hand down onto the table in anger. "No you don't! Not until we handle that problem of yours."

"What problem?" Sakura slurred.

"The rabies problem. Sasuke told me all about it…." Sakura didn't hear anymore as her world began spinning and eventually went black. She fell unconsciously against her teacher's arm.

-

-

Uchiha Sasuke stared in wonder as the Hokage stood at his doorway with his wife slung over her shoulder. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. He hoped that it'd be a good one.

"She passed out."

He almost rolled his eyes. "I figured that much."

Tsunade gave a nervous chuckle and shrugged as best as she could with a full grown woman on her shoulder. "Well yeah, she was drinking… again. You might want to look into that, it could become a serious problem."

This time Sasuke rolled his eyes. This coming from the woman who was known for her drinking habits. "Whatever." He reached out as Tsunade passed Sakura to him. He pulled her close; her small body was curled against his. Sasuke nodded to the Hokage before slamming the door in her face.

His dark eyes rested on his wife's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful as she was curled up against him. Her pink hair was slightly mussed, her pink lips slightly parted, her cheeks pink. Everything about her was pink. Sasuke personally hated the color pink but on her everything seemed so right.

He felt as though he could've stood there all night staring down at her. Sasuke shook his head as he came back to reality. "…troublesome…" he found himself using the lazy Nara kid's catch phrase.

Sighing, he climbed the stairs and headed towards his bedroom. Using one hand he pulled back the sheets and carefully laid her down. He gazed at her for a little while longer. His inner self told him to climb in with her. While his other self told him to sleep in her designated room, therefore keeping their relationship at arms length. Before he could stalk out she shifted in her sleep and sighed. "Sasuke-kun."

His onyx eyes widened. Did she just say his name in her sleep? Forgetting all else, he obeyed his inner self and climbed in beside her, making sure to keep a safe distance away from her sleeping form. He stared at her in the dark until sleep eventually claimed him.

-

-

"So how did it go?" Yamanaka Ino's blue eyes widened as she waited for her friend's response. Behind her, Tenten stood with a similar look in her chocolate brown eyes.

"Yeah, what did Sasuke say?"

Sakura sighed loudly as she tried to evade her friends. This was supposed to be a simple shopping trip. After waking up that morning to the surprise of Sasuke sleeping beside her, she ran downstairs only to find that they were almost out of food. Sasuke provided her with money and told her to buy some food.

She was looking through a fruit stall when her two friends and a blushing Hyuga heiress who was oblivious to everything cornered her. Hinata only came along because Tenten dragged her. Ever since Tenten and Neji started dating, she and Tenten spent a lot more time together.

"I-I'm not su-sure wh-what's going on." She said, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

"Forehead girl over here told Sasuke that she has a crush on him." Ino stated quickly, "Now we're waiting for the results."

"Guys." Sakura firmly placed an apple down and faced her friends, her emerald eyes gleaming in annoyance. "Nothing happened, ok?"

"Huh?"

"What do you mean?"

Sakura shook her head slowly "I chickened out at the last moment." All three of her friends groaned "I just couldn't do it. He can be so intimidating."

Ino crossed her arms angrily "That never bothered you before!" she snapped irately, her blue eyes blazing in fury. "I can't believe you won't tell your husband that you like him! How messed up is that? Honestly, I used to think you were pathetic before but this just takes the cake!"

She stormed off leaving a confused Sakura. She turned to her friends who were glancing between the two awkwardly. Sakura lowered her head in thought. Ino was right, she was always chickening out of something and it was always Ino who backed her up. Her pink bangs covered her face.

"S-sakura-chan?" Hinata's small voice piped up. Sakura jerked her head up to face her white eyed friend. "I-I think y-you should ta-talk to Ino-chan. Then…" she poked her fingers together "You should t-talk with Sa-sasuke-san."

The two held that gaze until Sakura managed a smile. "You're right… as always." She turned and took off leaving Tenten with Hinata.

"Talk about a messed up life! Sakura really needs to straighten things up, eh Hinata?"

-

-

Tsunade groaned as another injured shinobi came in. He bore a similar message to the previous one. She quickly dismissed him to the Hospital before opening a nearby scroll. In it was a message from the Kazekage relating to the same subject as everything else.

Rolling the scroll shut, she reached for a nearby bottle of sake. Her assistant walked in. "Tsunade-sama!" Shizune dove towards the Hokage and wrestled the bottle out of her teacher's hand. "How many times do I have to tell you not to drink on duty?"

"Sorry."

Shizune's dark eyes widened. Tsunade never apologized for drinking before. "A-are you feeling alright?"

"No… it's the same thing over and over again."

"What thing?" the brunette absentmindedly reorganized a few scrolls while talking. She already knew what she was talking about.

"You know what it is." Tsunade rubbed her temples "The rumors about Orochimaru, and the sound village… everything. This is driving me crazy. The only thing we can do is keep our shinobi on their toes and keep contact with nearby villages."

Shizune nodded her head slowly. It was almost the same as before. Orochimaru would never drop his grudge against the village. She gave a small sigh. As long as the snake man was alive the village would be forever in danger.

"I wonder why he still pursues Sasuke…" Shizune mused aloud "I mean, Sasuke already said no. He no longer needs his powers. So how does he expect to get him now?"

"That's what bothers me."

-

-

"Okay forehead girl… here's the plan. We get your man somewhere secluded and slightly romantic, then you tell him that you like him and kiss him like there's no tomorrow! Easy right?"

Sakura sweat dropped. Having Ino mad at her was awful. However, having Ino obsessed with an idea was even worse.

"Um…" she scratched her head "That's kinda… easy."

"I know!" Ino clapped her hands excitedly "That's what makes it so great! Any questions?"

Sakura laughed nervously as passerbies gave them strange looks. Standing in the middle of Konoha and talking about your latest obsession with your husband isn't the greatest of ideas.

"Ino… thanks, you really are a great friend." Ino looked shocked for a moment before smiling softly.

"I know."

-

-

Looking for Sasuke wasn't exactly easy. After dropping the groceries off at the house Sakura attempted to find her husband, which proved more difficult than she imagined. It was while she was searching that she realized that she didn't know anything about her husband's daily habits. She frowned as she leapt from roof to roof, her green eyes constantly scanning her surroundings in hopes of spotting sight of his familiar chicken-haired figure.

She suddenly caught sight of a certain orange wearing ninja. At first she didn't want to approach him, but then her reasonable side told her that if anyone should know where Sasuke is, Naruto would. She landed behind the said person who was currently making a beeline for the ramen stand.

Naruto turned, his blue eyes showing that he was pleased. "Sakura-chan!" he called cheerfully, his usual fox-grin still in place. "What are you doing here?"

"Actually I was looking for Sasuke, have you seen him?" Naruto's bright blue eyes hardened at the sound of his best friend's name.

"No. I haven't." his words came out clipped and angry.

Sakura rested her forefinger against her chin and assumed her thinking position. Unwittingly she was stirring up some emotions in Naruto. He always thought that she looked cute doing that pose, and her black shorts and pink tank top wasn't helping either.

"Now where could he be?" she said to no one in particular.

The blonde watched her as she spoke aloud, his fists clenched in fury. Sasuke was his best friend, but right now his thoughts towards him were of nothing but pure hatred. He loved her first, not Sasuke! He always protected her in missions, not that heartless bastard! Sasuke betrayed her for god's sake! So how come she ended up with Sasuke anyway? All these thoughts ran through his head as Sakura talked to herself, wondering where her husband was.

"I have an idea!" she suddenly brightened up, breaking Naruto out of his wrathful thoughts. "How about you help me look for him? Two heads are better than one!"

Naruto shrugged carefully "What do you want him for?"

To Naruto's surprise, her cheeks suddenly turned red and she poked her fingers together in a familiar gesture. "I-I ha-have to tell h-him something…" she mumbled almost inaudibly. He tilted his head to the side but said no more.

"Alright," he suddenly grinned once more making it almost impossible for Sakura not to smile back. "You go that way!" he pointed in one direction "and I'll go the other way! We'll meet back here in half an hour or I'll look for you if I find him and vice versa. Okay?"

Sakura gave an impish grin and saluted him before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. His grin slowly dropped. He lowered his head, his fist re-clenched. He stood in the middle of the road for some time until a quiet voice broke him from his thoughts.

"N-Naruto-kun?" he glanced up to see a blushing Hinata standing beside him and poking her fingers together. He instantly recognized that as the gesture that Sakura used earlier. The mere thought made him unconsciously smile.

"Oh, hey Hinata-chan! What's up?"

Hinata gulped and quickly turned her blushing face to the side. Her heart hammered in her chest as her crush smiled warmly at her. 'I-I w-was w-wandering if ev-everything w-was okay." She caught sight of his confused expression and quickly continued, "I mean, y-you seemed so s-sad, an-and lonely…"

"Sad?"

"Y-yes… I w-was… wo-worried… ab-about you." Her cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red as she struggled the last few words out.

Naruto stared at her in confusion until it finally dawned on him what she was trying to say. "Oh that!" he forced a laugh "It was nothing, I was just thinking that's all!"

Hinata stared at him curiously, her gray eyes filled with concern. "I-if you s-say so…" she said softly before turning and walking off. She walked a few feet before stopping. Just earlier Ino got mad at Sakura for doing the same thing. _'Courage!'_ she reminded herself before turning around.

"Naruto-kun!" she said quickly, instantly catching her crush's attention. "Listen, I kn-know how you feel about Sakura-chan. I know that you l-love her…" her voice saddened at that point "and would do anything for her. But you have to give up."

"What?" Naruto stared at Hinata as if she had just morphed into Neji.

"I know that it's your ninja way to never give up, b-but this is one case where you have to. It's for the best. Sakura-chan loves Sasuke and I believe that he is beginning to feel the same. Y-you can't ruin that!" her gray eyes were filled with tears as she cried out passionately "Please, you'll only make things worse for everybody."

The blonde kitsune continued to stare at her in amazement "Hinata-chan I-"

"No!" she stamped her foot, shocking Naruto and all bystanders. "J-just stay out of the way! If you ju-jump in things will get worse and worse, and it would only hurt Sakura-chan. Believe me, I know what it's like to love and not have that love returned. It hurts doesn't it?" she was now openly crying. Naruto stretched out a hand towards her but she only jerked away from him. She clutched her heart "It hurts right here! I know what you're going through, but you have to stop! Please, if not for me do it for Sakura-chan!"

Hinata stopped and panted for breath. Her watery eyes fixated on Naruto's face. His shoulders were slightly slumped, and his face downcast making it impossible to read his expression.

After a few moments he spoke softly "Hinata-chan? You said you… you said you know what it's like. You said you loved someone but that person never loved you. Who was it?"

She watched his saddened figure for a moment and sighed. "I can't say."

"Why not?"

"Believe me when I say I can't. Naruto, I-I'm s-sorry if I h-hurt your f-feeling… but please…"

He looked up at her and gave a weak version of his usual fox grin. "Yeah, I understand what you're saying. You didn't hurt my feelings at all. It's just that… I don't want to give up."

"Naruto!"

"I know…" he shrugged slowly "It's for the best right? You were right… I do love Sakura. I don't want anything bad to happen to her so I'll stay away. Alright?"

She smiled partially in relief and partially to hide the pain. Her indigo head bobbed up and down eagerly. "Arigato Naruto-kun."

-

-

Sakura was irritated now. Not only could she not find Sasuke, but she couldn't remember what she wanted him for! Letting out a loud groan, she gracefully leapt off the roof she was standing on and landed in the street. She was about to start running when she caught sight of a familiar figure with dark bangs hiding part of his light face.

"Sasuke!" she ran at the figure and wrapped her arms around his waist in exhaustion. "I've looked all over for you!"

'Sasuke' turned to her with a baffled expression on his face. "Ugly?"

Sakura froze "Huh?" she looked up and groaned "Sai? Wh-what are you doing…? Where's Sasuke?"

"I don't know." He said while slowly prying her arms off him "I haven't seen him. You really need to stop hugging random people." He poked her forehead and gave his usual sweet grin. Sakura nodded and watched as the pale skinned boy walked off.

It confused her how much Sasuke didn't like him. Sai was a very sweet person, a little strange but definitely sweet. She smiled fondly at his retreating figure before returning to the task at hand. "Where could he be?"

"Oi Sakura!" she turned and watched as the world's laziest ninja ran towards her. Yes folks, he actually ran.

"Hello Shikamaru-san, what can I do for you?"

"Can you and your husband help out in our wedding?" he asked bluntly, his cheeks tinted pink.

Sakura's emerald eyes widened "Say WHAT!" she shrieked.

"Stop yelling, troublesome girl." Shikamaru uncovered his ears. He was always on the defense for screaming females. "I need you guys to help with the wedding. Ino already rented a church, but we need help with planning and stuff."

"W-wait, I got that part." Sakura said in shock. "You guys are getting married already?"

Shikamaru shrugged "Yeah, we've known each other all our lives. So why wait any longer?"

Nodding, the pink haired girl eventually smiled. At her smile Shikamaru automatically relaxed. "So you're in?" he asked.

"Yup! When do you need help?"

"Right now," he yawned, "Some of the planning is pretty screwy. We plan on getting married within a month and we need the guys to go purchase some tuxedos or something. So if you could get Sasuke and head towards the church, temple, whatever it'd be appreciated. Oh yeah, bring that troublesome loudmouth while you're at it."

"Okay!" she saluted as he ran off. "Wow he must really be whipped if she got him to run." She mused aloud. "Now where is Sasuke?"

-

-

Uzumaki Naruto walked slowly with a thoughtful expression on his usually cheerful face. Hinata's words left him mystified who did she love? Why did she say what she did? More importantly, why was he feeling upset that she loved someone?

He shook it off with a grin. Hinata was just a friend, a really good friend. She was a really good friend who was always there for him and cheered him on no matter what. She was a really good friend who was the best ramen maker in town. He smiled; he hoped that whoever she loved would eventually love her back.

It was then that he remembered that he was supposed to be looking for Sasuke. He growled in annoyance and immediately picked up his pace. While he ran he nearly collided with an angry Hyuga Neji. "Have you seen Sasuke?" he demanded.

Neji looked at him angrily, he was obviously irritated but he somehow managed to keep his voice cool and composed. "Yes, he's that way." He pointed.

"Thanks." Naruto immediately took off leaving Neji to shake his head and stalk off.

He came across Sasuke in less than five minutes. The said person was sitting on a park bench, reading a scroll of sorts. He looked so peaceful that Naruto almost felt guilty for disturbing him.

"Teme." Sasuke looked up and smirked.

"Dobe."

"Sakura is looking for you."

This caused Sasuke to raise an eyebrow. "Where is she?"

"This way, c'mon!"

-

-

Running alongside his best friend, Sasuke could tell that something was wrong. The blonde would usually drive him insane with his useless chatter, now he was being even quieter than the Uchiha himself. Frowning slightly, Sasuke continued to watch his silent friend. When Naruto finally turned towards him his blue eyes were as cold as ice. Somewhere behind that cold covering, Sasuke could sense confusion. '_What's up with him?'_

"Oi dobe, what's wrong with you?"

Naruto bit his lip and shook his head. "Nothing."

The Uchiha gave his friend a hard stare, causing him to sigh. "Sasuke I told you, it's nothing."

"You're lying."

Gritting his teeth, the blonde stopped in his tracks and turned to face his stoic friend. "You don't deserve Sakura."

Those harsh words caught Sasuke by surprise. He had already figured that it had something to do with the rose haired female.

"And you do?" he challenged the blonde.

Naruto glared back, answering his challenge. "More than you do. I've done more for her than you could ever do. I love her, you just want to use her to revive your clan."

Sasuke smirked "Maybe. Still, she's mine isn't she?"

"Shut up you bastard! You treat her like shit and yet she still loves you!" Naruto roared, "You left her! You broke her heart! You weren't here to see her cry! You're a heartless bastard!"

Sasuke's kekkei genkai immediately activated. He took a few breaths and slowly calmed himself. He knew that that irritated Naruto beyond belief. "What? So you're saying that you deserve her?" he asked in a slow, taunting manner. "Maybe so… but you know what? She doesn't love you. I don't think she ever will."

Naruto was on the verge of attacking the stoic avenger when a familiar voice immediately broke the fight. "Sasuke-kun! Naruto-kun!" both men turned to see the object of their affections running towards them and waving, a large smile graced her face.

"Arigato Naruto-kun!" she beamed at Naruto "I was looking all over for him."

Sasuke took this as an opportunity to make Naruto even angrier. He walked towards the pink haired female until they were only inches apart. "You want me?" He whispered huskily.

Her cheeks instantly flared. Fidgeting nervously she edged away from him "Ah, yes well…" as she backed up she tripped over a small stone.

Sasuke reached out and caught hold of her arm in an attempt to balance her. She lurched forward and collided with him, causing both of them to fall down. Sakura landed on top of his warm body, her legs entangled with his.

She opened her eyes and saw that her face was only an inch away from her husbands. The shade of her face equaled that of a tomato's as her nose brushed against his. Sakura vainly attempted to form a few words but to no avail.

Sasuke's onyx orbs flickered over towards where Naruto was watching them with clenched fists. He smirked and rolled them over so that he was on top.

"You know," he said, his voice low and his dark eyes smoldering. "If you wanted me that bad you could've asked. I would've eagerly complied."

Sakura's green eyes widened and her face turned an even darker shade of red, if possible. "I-I."

He propped himself up so that he was in a crawling position above her with both hands propped up on either side of her head. "You want me so bad that you'd try to take advantage of me in the middle of the street? Shouldn't this be saved for later…" he lowered his face so that his lips brushed her ear. "_Sakura?"_ Jolts of electricity ran down her spine at the way he said her name. She shuddered involuntarily much to Sasuke's amusement.

She immediately came back to her senses and pushed him off her. "Taking advantage of you?" she shrieked, "You're the one on top of me!"

"I know, that's how it should be too."

Her cheeks flamed but she was persistent. Gathering chakra in her hands she managed to send Sasuke flying off her. He gracefully landed a few feet away from her. Shoving his hands in his pocket, Sasuke smirked smugly at Naruto as Sakura scrambled to her feet.

Red faced, she turned to the two men who watched her carefully as if expecting a reaction. They were not disappointed. "What the HELL was that about!?!" she stomped up to Sasuke.

Naruto gulped, he was glad that he wasn't Sasuke. Sakura was standing there death glaring her husband with an evil look in her eye. There were small thunder clouds above her head and he could swear that he heard ominous music and screams in the background.

Sasuke looked down at the angry girl. "What?"

"You heard me!" she shrieked. Several passerby's burst into tears and ran for shelter. "You sorry jerk!" she grabbed the Uchiha's arm, flipped him over, and continuously slammed him on the ground. "You." Slam "Stupid." Slam. "Jerk!"

Naruto winced as he watched his friend go up and down like an old toy. "Ouch." He muttered. His eyes widened when she turned to him.

"Well, that's that!" she declared sweetly. Naruto sweat dropped. Just a moment ago she was the harbinger of doom, now she was smiling with flowers and butterflies in the background.

"Shikamaru wants you two!" she giggled before merrily skipping away.

Naruto looked down at his friend who was currently lying on the ground. His body occasionally twitched letting Naruto know that he was still alive.

"Yup!" Naruto placed both hands behind his head and grinned, "She sure seems to like you!"

-

-

Sakura was still skipping when she came to a screeching halt. "Darn it! I forgot to tell Sasuke!" she stamped her feet. "I wonder if now is a good time to tell him?" she thought on how she slammed him mercilessly. "Nah. I guess it can wait."

-

-

"Tsunade-sama… are you sure you want to do this?" Shizune's dark eyes were fearful as the Hokage finished writing in a scroll.

Hazel eyes met with black. "Positive. If this is the only way to help them, then I'm willing to take a chance. I only hope that Sakura won't kill me for it."

Shizune gulped as her teacher sealed the scroll and handed it to her. "Give this to Sasuke tomorrow afternoon."

**End Chapter**

-gasps- What is hidden inside the mystery scroll? Will Sasuke ever truly love Sakura? Will Naruto stop loving Sakura? Does Turkey have more fat than chicken? Dun dun dun dun!!! Find out next time in the episode 16 of 'Wait I'm Marrying who?!?' –cheesy theme song music-

Oh yeah, I just found out that some authors respond to reviews. –scratches head- Well… this is incredibly awkward… but I have dial up and can't afford to do stuff like that. I kinda have to use my computer while it's running quickly otherwise I'll be stuck with it in dinosaur mode. Sorry. I do love you though!

**This time's goal is… uh… 310+ reviews. I'm going easy on you this time, but the + means you can add more. The more reviews the happier I am! –Smiles-**


	16. Chapter 16

Alright folks the votes are in! Turkey officially has more fat than Chicken! (or at least according to your standards, I still believe Chicken has more fat but…) One person made an interesting point. It was Anbu Inu she said "They're bigger at least, I mean when do you see a chicken that has a round belly?" lolz that made me and my sister laugh, it makes sense though.

I got a lot of guesses for what's in the scroll. I grinned at most of them. I hope you guys realize that I aim to be as unpredictable as possible! Wait until the next chapter and you'll see what I mean. –evil laugh-

**Okay Ch16. Thanks for all the reviews, I never thought I'd reach 300. Oh I also hope you guys had a thanksgiving as awesome as mine!**

**Disclaimer: Neji-kun ran away from me. Curse you Kishimoto and your stupid copyrights! Cuuuurrrssseeee yoooouuuu!!! –shakes fist- -gets struck by lightning-**

**Warning: LONG CHAPTER AHEAD!**

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Shizune gulped nervously as she darted between people during her run towards the Uchiha Manor. Right now, she was no longer just an assistant. She was an assistant on a mission. She caught sight of Haruno Sakura and hid behind a fruit stall. She let out a slow breath when the coast was clear. She knew that if she talked to Sakura now that the guilt would eat away at her until she confessed.

"Oink!"

Shizune glanced down at the pig beside her who started 'oinking' excitedly at the sight of the pink haired shinobi. "Tonton! Shhhh!" She quickly hushed the creature.

"Come on!" she ran down the street, opposite the direction that Sakura was headed. She didn't have to go far before she nearly tripped over the prone figure of Uchiha Sasuke laying spread eagled on the ground.

"Uchiha-san!" she exclaimed and quickly knelt down beside him. "What happened?"

"Sakura happened that's what!" she looked up to see Uzumaki Naruto hovering over them with a huge grin on his face.

Her eyebrows furrowed "Sakura did this to you?" she turned back to Sasuke who said nothing. Shizune frowned but quickly activated a simple healing jutsu to heal any bruises or abrasions. "What did you do this time?"

"… nothing…"

This time Naruto burst out laughing. Sasuke lifted his head weakly and glared at his best friend. "Shut up loser."

Shaking his head Naruto watched as Shizune carefully helped a bruised Sasuke to stand. He glared openly at the two of them.

Shizune bit her lip before quickly offering the scroll. "H-here, this is from Tsunade-sama… she wishes for you to accept this mission."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow "If this is a mission then why didn't she hand it to me herself?"

"She wants to keep this low-key, consider it a secret mission…" Sasuke continued to stare at her doubtfully "If needed, you may share this scroll's content with Sakura. But only if absolutely necessary."

The Uchiha continued to stare at her but slowly reached out to accept the scroll. His instinct told him that this mission wasn't exactly going to be fun. He watched as the assistant awkwardly bowed before scurrying off. His eyes met with Naruto's. He gave a grunt before stalking off.

-

-

"Did you give him the scroll?"

"Yes."

"Let's just hope they don't kill us for it."

"Well it's your fault for meddling…"

"Never mind… just get me a sake."

-

-

Sasuke took a deep breath before entering his house. He could sense Sakura's chakra coming from one of the spare rooms. He smothered his curiosity and strode over towards his office. Once seated at his desk he lay the scroll down and stared at it. His onyx eyes narrowed at the scroll. He felt somewhat uneasy about opening this scroll. He knew that opening this scroll could change his life forever and he wasn't sure if he was quite ready for it yet.

His eyes flickered upwards as Sakura slowly walked past his room. Their eyes met for a split second. Sakura was the first to break the contact. She quickly walked by leaving him to stare at the empty space where she once stood.

Sasuke emitted a small sigh. He wanted to talk to her but then he would remember the merciless beating he just received from her. He winced at the thought. That woman was strong.

"Sakura…" he spoke softly his eyes fixated on the scroll before him. This scroll had something to do with both of them. He needed to know what it was now.

-

-

Sakura stood in the small garden behind the Uchiha manor. She learned that Uchiha Mikoto, her mother in law, once tended it. She smiled softly. She would have liked to know this woman. According to her mother Mikoto was a kindly woman.

Bending down slightly Sakura picked a small blue flower. Her eyes widened, this type of flower only grew in colder climates. What was it doing growing in a place like Konoha? Mikoto must have been an impressive gardener in order to accomplish such a feat. She held the flower to her nose. Its smell was very faint. "Forget-me-not."

Her eyes softened as she slowly let the flower fall. Turning she entered the manor once more. "Forget me not." She said even louder, her voice sad.

"Forget me not."

-

-

Sasuke sat straight, his trained ears catching his wife's voice. "Forget me not."

His black eyes widened slightly, that was the name of his mother's favorite flower. She tried for years to grow them in such a climate. After speaking with the Yamanaka family she discovered a way to keep them growing. She only managed to grow one plant.

He smirked to himself before grasping hold of the scroll. His thumb slowly removed the ribbon wrapped around it. It slowly rolled open.

-

-

Aburame Shino frowned from behind his high collar. Something was wrong. He turned to his female teammate who half heartedly continued her sparring match with Kiba. Even when she was younger she would put more spirit into her battles. Now she was not even concentrating anymore. Her eyes were unfocused and her movements languid, almost lazy. She received several harsh blows making the Aburame wince.

"Enough!" Kiba and Hinata froze and turned to him. Kiba's eyes were confused as he stormed up to his teammate whereas Hinata just stared at him vacantly.

Shino ignored his fuming teammate and turned towards his female one. "Hinata. Come." Her gray eyes shone in confusion as she took a few timid steps forward.

"Yes?" her eyes were still slightly misted over.

"What is going on with you?" he asked bluntly "You're no longer focused." She frowned and continued to stare vacantly at her teammate.

"I'm focused."

Shino shook his head "No. You're not."

"I'm just tired, that's all."

"Hinata."

Hinata's eyes grew moist with tears. She quickly blinked them away. That motion did not go unnoticed by her observant teammate.

"Hinata, what's wrong?"

She bit her lip nervously as Kiba stopped his yelling and stared at her too. He scowled darkly at Shino. "Dammit Shino, can't you see you're making her uncomfortable?"

"No!" Hinata cried out instantly catching the attention of her teammates. "It's just that… I've been going through some things. It's nothing big; I'll be back to normal by tomorrow. I just need some rest. That's all."

Shino was proud of Hinata for not stuttering but also upset that she was lying to him. He continued to scrutinize her as she met his gaze. "Hinata… is it about Naruto?"

Her cheeks tinted pink and she suddenly began stuttering. "I-it's no-no-not. N-n-n-n-n-Naruto-k-kun ha-has no-nothing t-t-to d-do wi-with it."

Kiba and Shino both raised a doubtful eyebrow at the girl. Even Akamaru looked unconvinced She blushed and sighed "It is…" she confessed "I talked to him a-about Sakura-chan a-and tried t-to convince him not to mess u-up her life." She sniffled.

"And?" Kiba and Shino prompted simultaneously.

"It just hurts!" she sobbed into her hands. Both boys tensed up. They were unused to dealing with crying girls. Kiba awkwardly wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I-I almost told him that I-I …." The two young men nodded their heads understandingly. She managed a weak smile. "B-but it was inappropriate… a-a-and I j-just…I w-wish that he felt the s-same way about me… it-it's always a-about S-sakura… everyone l-loves her…" she sobbed into Kiba's shoulder.

He held the young woman as she cried against him. "Hinata." He cleared his throat awkwardly. Shino raised an eyebrow, just what was he thinking?

"Hinata…" Kiba continued, "That's not true… we love you. You're a special person and one day you'll find the right person and they'll realize how wonderful you really are."

She stopped crying to look up at her teammate. "Y-you really think so?" she asked innocently, a small smile slowly appeared on her face.

"We know so."

"Arf!"

-

-

Sasuke finished the scroll and dropped it in shock. _'She didn't!'_ Was the only thought in mind. He stared down at the scroll as if it were a monster. Everyone in the village understood that Tsunade was a very unorthodox Hokage, however, pulling a stunt like this truly took the cake. '_How dare she threaten me!'_ His glare intensified. If looks could kill, the scroll would've burst into flames.

He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his raven locks. This was just plain ridiculous. Sakura would never agree to it. Would she?

The scroll said for him to either 'Impregnate Haruno Sakura within a week or break the marriage.' According to Tsunade, there was a dangerous mission that she needed him to lead. If he did not impregnate Sakura, this could be his last chance to revive the clan. Otherwise the marriage would be broken and Sakura would be free from the binds while Sasuke could reproduce with any random female.

The stress was slowly eating away at him. He had a tough choice to make here. Sasuke groaned loudly and slammed his forehead on his desk. What should he do?

-

-

Sakura was entering in from the garden when she heard a loud groan. Her emerald eyes widened, was that Sasuke? She hurried towards his office where he sat with his forehead on his desk.

She timidly approached "Sasuke?"

He shot up and stared at her as though she were a ghost. "Sakura, what do you want?" his voice wavered slightly. Sakura stared at him in confusion. She wondered what could be bothering him.

"What's wrong? You look troubled."

She took a step closer. Sasuke scooted his chair away from her approaching figure causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"Alright, what is it?" she demanded, slamming both hands on his desk. "You're not acting like yourself! Why are you-" she suddenly recalled the slamming she gave him earlier. "Look, if it's about earlier then I apologize for… wait a second, you were being a jerk!" she pointed an accusing figure at him.

Sasuke sighed, "It's not about that. And you're right, I was being a jerk."

Sakura's jaw dropped. Did Sasuke just admit that he was being a jerk? She stared at him incredulously.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"You just…." She shook her head "nothing. What's wrong then?"

"I'm just tired." He said quickly "I think I'll go to sleep."

"You can't!"

Sasuke fixed his chair "Why not?"

"You guys have to go shopping for the wedding, remember?"

He nodded slowly and rose up. "Fine, I'll see you tonight."

Sakura's jaw dropped for the second time. Did he actually say something almost husbandly? Sasuke noticed her stare but quickly shrugged it off.

Sakura shook her head as he exited. "Things are getting weirder and weirder."

-

-

Shopping with the guys was bad idea, Sasuke realized. Especially when a certain blonde haired female accompanied them and yelled at her fiancé the whole time. He raised an eyebrow as Ino dragged Shikamaru to another store. He'd never understand why a guy like Shikamaru fell for a girl like Ino.

"Opposites attract." Aburame Shino said philosophically almost as if he read Sasuke's mind. The Uchiha did nothing but nod briefly. The Aburame was a really strange person, but not unlikable. He was very much like the Uchiha in many ways. They were silent, calculative, powerful, and moody.

"Come on!" Naruto yelled from behind the stoic two. "Ino promised me ramen if I went with you guys! Let's hurry up!"

"Want me to shut him up?" Kiba growled under his breath. He stood to the side with a tuxedo slung over his shoulder.

"Yes please." The Aburame and Uchiha said in unison.

Kiba grabbed a nearby mannequin and clubbed Naruto over the head with it. Sasuke smirked grimly as the store clerk had a heart attack over his mannequin.

Ino ran up to the group and raised an eyebrow at Naruto's unconscious figure. "I'm not going to ask. Anyways, I think that's it. Thanks so much for helping guys! I appreciate it!" she gave her signature smile. Sasuke blinked, she looked so much like Sakura when she did that.

Thinking of Sakura reminded him of the scroll. Receiving a scroll like that was every guys dream. But all Sasuke could think of was how Sakura would react. He considered not telling her. Then that would make things even more awkward then they already were. He ran a hand through his spiky hair.

"Hey Uchiha, what's wrong?" Sasuke glanced up to see the weary form of Nara Shikamaru.

"Nothing."

Shikamaru snorted, "I know you enough to know that something is up. Women problems?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow "Yeah, kind of."

The Nara gave a short laugh "Yeah, I know what that feels like." He turned to watch the retreating form of his wife. Alongside her Shino walked with his hands shoved in his pockets. Kiba followed the two while dragging Naruto's limp body behind.

"Still," the lazy nin yawned "There's only one answer to all your problems."

Sasuke fully turned to face the lazy ninja. "What?" the Nara had all of his attention now.

"Tell her you love her. Believe me, women go crazy for that mushy stuff. That's the only reason why we're married. If I didn't love her, I wouldn't be here." Shikamaru shrugged casually as he spoke. Sasuke stared at him in amazement.

Say he loved her? Ridiculous! His onyx eyes narrowed at the lazy brunette. The Uchiha clan was not a sentimental one. His pride would be ruined if he did something so… mushy. "Impossible."

"Why?" Shikamaru asked "Don't you love her?"

His eyes widened at the Nara. He opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out. He instantly folded his arms and glared down at the ground. Did he love her? Sakura was loud, annoying, brash, violent, and bright in every way possible. There was no way he'd love someone so noisy.

On the other hand, she was kind hearted, sweet natured, beautiful, understanding, friendly, and silly, childish, as innocent as a child. Love was a weakness; it would ruin everything for him if he let something so simple get in the way of his life. He bit his lip as Nara Shikamaru patiently waited for his answer.

"Impossible. I can't love her."

Shikamaru gave a dry chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't ask if you could. I asked if you do."

Sasuke abruptly turned around; his back faced the bored looking ninja. "Love is a weakness. No I cannot, do not love her."

"Well…" Shikamaru shrugged as best as he could under a pile of bags. "That's you're choice then. I know that she cares for you in her own way. I just feel bad for her."

"Why?"

Lazy brown eyes met with fierce onyx orbs. "Easy, she deserves so much better but she's stuck with you. Almost every guy in this village can treat her better than you do; yet she's stuck with you. I really pity the girl.."

-

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The rest of the evening was fairly boring for Sakura. She received no new missions from Tsunade and Sasuke left her earlier to go tuxedo shopping. She grinned at the thought of Sasuke shopping with the group of noisy ninja.

Speaking of Sasuke, he was acting pretty strange lately. Her eyebrows furrowed, she wondered if he was alright. Sasuke never acted so strangely unless something really bad was going on. Rolling over on her bed she gave a loud sigh. Sometimes she wondered what her life would be like if she didn't marry Sasuke. She'd probably be dating Naruto right now. Her eyes softened as her hands played with the hem of her nightgown.

Sasuke was sweet in his own way, but if she were with Naruto she knew he'd treat her like a princess. He was so loving. She smiled at the thought of the noisy blonde. They got along perfectly when they were dating. Although sometimes his childishness did get on her nerves. Sakura frowned, Ino told her that she too was childish. Perhaps it was for the better that she married Sasuke. Someone needed to be the serious adult.

Sighing dramatically she sat up. Things were just too confusing. The sound of the door unlocking caused her ears to perk. She crept out the room and halfway downstairs so that she had a clear view of the wooden door. It opened slowly revealing Sasuke standing in the doorway. She gave a low gasp. He looked so troubled. His eyebrows were furrowed, his hair ruffled from running a hand through it so often, and he was biting his lip. He glared down at the floor as he slammed the door shut.

Sasuke leaned against the door and plopped down with his back still against the door. Sakura's emerald eyes widened, _'What's wrong with him?'_ Her first instinct told her to run downstairs. Her shinobi instincts told her to watch him. She struggled between the two until she heard Sasuke give a heartfelt sigh.

She slowly walked down. Her foot hit a squeaky step. Sasuke looked up sharply and caught sight of his wife standing on the stairs in a white nightgown that went halfway down her legs. Her long pink tresses were cascading around her shoulders; her emerald eyes were shining in worry.

"Sasuke?" she spoke softly as she slowly approached him. He watched her slowly approaching.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Sasuke asked sharply. Sakura stopped mid step at his question. She nibbled at her lower lip.

"I was waiting… for you. You usually don't stay out so late and well…" she wrung her hands anxiously. Sasuke sighed in defeat.

He reached into the pouch at his side and pulled out a scroll with Tsunade's special ribbon tied around it. Sakura's eyes widened at the sight. What would Sasuke be doing with that? Did she finally have a mission?

Sasuke thought for a moment before speaking "Tsunade gave me this… it's a mission."

The pink haired girl stood patiently waiting for him to continue. The whole time her heart and mind were racing. What could be in the scroll?

"Here." He tossed it to the said girl who caught it clumsily.

She opened it quickly. Sasuke watched her carefully as she slowly read each line. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped. He winced; she obviously came to the part where Tsunade gave the options. He watched as she dropped the scroll in shock. Her eyes met with his.

"S-sasuke…" she stuttered, her cheeks flaming up.

"Sakura, I'm giving you a choice."

"W-what?"

He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it even more. In the dark he could see Sakura's eyes full of fear. He watched as she clutched her nightgown in an attempt to keep them from trembling.

Sasuke glanced down at his own hands which were clenched tightly. He couldn't love her… but why was he so scared to lose her?

"I know that you'd rather be with… Naruto than me." He began, his eyes fixated on her face as she listened carefully. "I'm giving you this choice. Do you want to have my child and stay with me? Or you could… br-break the marriage." He inwardly cursed his sudden stutter. Since when did he turn into Hinata? "Make up your mind. You can go with Naruto and be happy or you could be stuck with me."

He spoke as bluntly as possible, making sure that she knew that this was her only chance to break the marriage. Her breaking the marriage would be for the best. She would be happy and he would… he would just go on the mission and achieve Anbu Captain. In the end, they would both be happy. Right?

Sakura covered her mouth, her eyes slowly watering. "S-sasuke…" she sobbed into her hand. Sasuke nodded slowly.

"I understand. I will tell Tsunade that the marriage is off." He spoke icily as he rose slowly only to be stopped by his wife.

"NO!" she cried throwing herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his broad chest. Sasuke's eyes widened as she sobbed into him. "I-I want to be…" she sobbed, "I want to be with you! Y-you're no Naruto."

He felt himself wince at her words. "B-but that doesn't matter! That's what m-makes you yourself. I lo-love Naruto, but more like a brother. The truth is… I think I like you, maybe even love you."

Sasuke's eyes widened. He stared down at the pink head that was still buried in his chest. Her whole body tensed as she gave that brief confession. He couldn't believe it. After all he did to her she still loved him?

"I know that you don't love me, you told me remember?" she tilted her head up to give him a wry smile through her tears. "But at least… if I have your child we can be happy right?"

Sasuke couldn't believe his ears. He found it impossible to speak so he merely nodded. Her smile came out genuine this time. Sasuke slowly wrapped his arms around her and leaned his head down towards her ear.

"Are you sure about this?"

She nodded slowly "Y-yes… I'm sure."

-

-

A week later Uchiha Sasuke stood at attention in Tsunade's office. A shy looking Sakura stood beside her.

The Hokage nodded. "It took a lot of chakra, but I managed to detect signs of life. She's definitely pregnant."

Sakura blushed. Sasuke felt his own cheeks heating up. He couldn't believe that he did that with her. Their eyes met briefly before they turned away.

"So I'm guessing that you're ready for this mission?" the Hokage asked, her hazel eyes catching their brief interaction. "Shizune!" the assistant looked up "Call in the rest of the squad."

Shizune nodded before running out the room. She returned a moment later with a few anbu behind her.

"Hey old lady!" Naruto moved his anbu mask to the side and grinned "Hey Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes "As you all are aware, this is no ordinary mission. I'd consider this mission the highest an S rank mission can go. Uchiha Sasuke, you are to lead this highly trained team of anbu in search of this Orochimaru fusion and destroy him once and for all. In this bag you have all the maps and mission information. You are to leave within ten minutes. Take care of yourselves."

They saluted before disappearing, leaving Sakura alone with Shizune and Tsunade. She wrung her hands and blushed again.

"Sakura?" Shizune tapped the said girl's shoulder.

She looked up "Hm?"

"Shouldn't you see them off?"

Sakura gave a genuine smile "You're right. I'll be back in time for my hospital shift. See ya!" She ran out the room eagerly leaving a smiling Tsunade.

The blonde turned to her assistant with a smug smirk on her face. "See? It wasn't that bad! At least we know the Uchiha will live on."

-

-

Standing at the village gate, Sasuke looked over his surroundings. He wondered how the mission would end. He hoped it would end well.

He turned to his team with comprised of Shinji, Naruto, and Hyuga Neji , the best ninja in the village. He tilted his head up to the sky and inhaled slowly.

"Alright team," he said disrupting Naruto's conversation with Shinji and Neji's meditation. "Let's move out."

The whole team turned and prepared to leap when they heard a distinctly female voice shouting. "WAIT! Don't go!"

Turning around Sasuke caught sight of a pink blur which lunged itself at him. This time Sasuke managed to keep his balance. "Sakura?" he looked down in confusion at the girl who was squeezing him. He glanced at Naruto who surprisingly only looked indifferent.

The girl broke away from him to hug Naruto, Neji, and Shinji. "Take care okay?" they nodded.

She turned back to her husband with a sad smile on her normally cheerful face. Her long pink hair was tied back in a low ponytail. Sasuke reached out and pulled the band out of her hair. She 'eeped' in surprise as her hair blew freely in the breeze.

"Goodbye Sasuke-kun , come back safe." She said softly. He nodded briefly and reached down for his anbu mask. Before he could put it on the female leaned up and gave him a brief peck on the lips. His eyes widened in surprise at the sudden contact.

Sakura blushed and ran off leaving Sasuke to stare in surprise at her rapidly retreating form. He shook his head and smiled softly before quickly putting on his anbu mask. He would definitely miss her.

"Let's go!"

-

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**End Chapter**

This is the longest chapter I've ever done! I didn't even expect to go this far yet. Yes people, the story is soon coming to its close. Thanks to all my reviewers! Kaoru, Anbu Inu, TsunadeHokage, maymay08, Caitlin Ragsdale , bL.oWF .isH-P.E.a.C.H. , Hinata101, and all my other reviewers who I forgot! –Scratches head-

Oh yeah, Ummm sasusaku4eva , are you that person I remember from Tokyopop? Lemme know okay? My thing on tokyopop was HyugaChick01.

Um, this chapter was definitely serious. I do apologize but my muse left me. I am really tired from choir rehearsal and all. If you live in the Carolina that I do you might be familiar with BMBC's YPM .

The goal is 400 reviews –evil laugh- well I'd like that, but the goal is 380+ Please and thank thank thank you!

Question of the day : Cat or Dog? Which makes a better pet? MY vote is with… uh… cats because they're low maintenance. Then again dogs are so much more fun… AAAHHH!!!

Also keep an eye out for my new story. It's gonna be an AU fic with Tenten as the main character. When it's out, please let me know what you think, okay? Also keep an eye out for another SasuSaku fic that I thought up and possible a SasuHina. Okay I'll shut up now. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!


	17. Chapter 17

I got several threats not to kill Sasuke. Weeeellll I dunno… I should do it just to make you angry! Bwahahahahahaaaa!!!! –runs from rabid reviewers- well anywayzers we'll have to see.

This will be a kinda in-between chapter. This story will be ending soon, but not that soon. What chapter is this anyway? Sixteen or seventeen? I forget.

Disclaimer: I snuck into Kishimoto's house and managed to retrieve Neji. Now he's mine, all mine! HAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! –Neji runs away- Neji-kun!!! Come baaaccckkkk!!!!

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Uchiha Sakura strolled slowly through Konoha while deep in thought. It had been exactly one month since Sasuke left to chase after the Orochimaru/Kabuto fusion. The house had grown even lonelier then ever. She spent several evenings all alone wishing that he were home. Even though he only grunted, she missed the sound of his voice. She missed sensing the familiar chakra presence.

She sighed heavily as she plopped down on a bench across the street from the Yamanaka flower show. Her green eyes observed as Shikamaru stood inside the shop talking to Ino who reached across the counter to bonk her fiancé across the head. Sakura chuckled to herself as Shikamaru raced out the shop.

"Sakura?" he asked, his hair windblown.

"Hm?"

"Can you help me?" he asked nervously "I tried to ask Ino to hold off the wedding since Sasuke, Neji, and Naruto are gone but she still wants to hold it without all the groomsmen. What do I do?"

Sakura couldn't help but smirk as the genius of Konoha asked her for help. She rolled her eyes upward as she thought.

"Buy her some chocolate and tell her that you love her." She giggled at Shikamaru's expression.

"She'll think that I'm trying to fatten her up."

"Then tell her that she's too skinny anyway."

"She'll kill me."

Sakura gave another smirk. "Then figure it out for yourself."

He glared at her as he stormed off while mumbling a 'troublesome' under his breath. She hated leaving him like that, but some things he'd have to find out for himself. The door to the flower shop swung open revealing a tired looking Ino. Her cerulean eyes lit up at the sight of her best friend. She still wore an apron, and her hair was tied up but she always managed to look vibrant.

"Forehead girl!" she smiled and ran across the street, shoving several civilians out of her way.

The pink haired woman gave her friend a brief smile. "I heard about your argument with Shikamaru."

Ino rolled her eyes "He's so troublesome isn't he? I mean, just because we'll be missing half the wedding party isn't any reason to cancel the wedding."

It was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes as she listened to her friend. "Ino," she poked her friend "You know that this wedding means just as much to Shikamaru as it does to you. He wants to share this special occasion with as many of his friends as he can. You can only have one first wedding you know."

The blonde sighed softly "I know, but I want to get married now."

"You're just being selfish."

Ino gave an impish grin "Maybe, but it's the bride's big day anyway."

Sakura resisted the urge to knock some sense into her best friend. "Well, I won't go if Sasuke's not going." She said resolutely.

Ino gaped "You can't do that! You're my best friend!"

"And Sasuke's my husband. Naruto's Shikamaru's friend and so is Neji."

The blond sighed heavily "I get your point. I just want to get married now. I mean…"

"I know, but sometimes you have to wait. This will only help your relationship. Don't jump into things."

"Like you did?"

Sakura grinned "Kind of. Come on, let's go find Shikamaru."

Her friend accepted her outstretched hand. Both females turned in the direction where Shikamaru retreated.

-

-

Sasuke panted as he landed on a tree branch beside the Hyuga who had been sent to scout ahead. "Report."

Neji turned to the soon to be captain. "Not much to see. I heard reports of a figure who resembled who we're looking for in the next village."

The Uchiha's red eyes gleamed from behind his mask. "Get Uzumaki and that weirdo, tell them I've gone on ahead. Catch up with me as soon as possible."

The Hyuga nodded and disappeared. Sasuke smirked as he faced the direction of the next village. Soon they would find Orochimaru and finish him off once and for all. Then he would return to the village and achieve captain.

He folded his arms. Then he would… he would see Sakura again. She would be about a month and a half pregnant by now. He smirked at the thought. He was right he did miss her. Soon they'd be reunited and things would go back to normal. And then the Uchiha clan would finally be rebuilt. He could hardly wait.

With a predatory gleam in his eye, Uchiha Sasuke sped through the trees. This time Orochimaru would die.

-

-

A few days passed for Sakura. She sighed in depression as she swept the front step for the fifteenth time that week. She closed her eyes and leaned her back against the door. Her stomach was hurting again. According to Tsunade that was only natural. She clutched her stomach and made a face. This would be a lot easier if Sasuke were there to help her out.

To avoid loneliness she spent as much time as possible with her friends. She trained with Tenten almost every day. Unfortunately Tenten insisted on going easy on her due to her pregnancy. This fact irritated the pink haired woman to no end. It was only six in the evening when the Hokage dismissed her to her house.

"You need as much rest as possible." Was her weak excuse "We want this pregnancy to go as smoothly as possible."

At first Sakura argued but then later she talked with her mother who explained that almost all of her babies were stillborn. Sakura was the only child out of five who lived past birth. Horrified, Sakura left her old house with a new sense of duty. No matter what, her child would live.

Fierce and determined, Sakura marched to the Uchiha manor set on staying safe. An hour later her determination and her spirit faded. She was downright bored.

"Wow, you really look like a wife now." Sakura looked up and glared at the noisy Inuzuka who stood a few feet away from her and grinning.

"What do you want Kiba?" she sighed.

He grinned even harder "Nothing. I just stopped by to see my favorite Uchiha. How's the pregnancy coming along?"

She glared "Well enough thank you. Is that what you stopped by for."

"Nah, I wanted to let you know that the Hokage wants to see you."

Sakura stopped glaring to look at him curiously. What could the Hokage want her for? "What is it?"

"I don't know." The Inuzuka shrugged dramatically and added an equally dramatic sigh. "I don't know… but she said something about a report from Sasu-" He opened his eyes to find Sakura gone. He turned to the left and caught sight of her tiny pink figure speeding through the streets of Konoha. "Wow."

-

-

The doors to the Hokage's office slammed open in the middle of Tsunade giving a mission to a squad of new genin. "WHERE IS IT?!?"

The genin jumped. Tsunade looked up to see her former pupil standing at the door looking crazy. Her eye twitched as one of the doors fell of its hinges and landed at a strange angle.

"Where is what?" the blonde asked while rubbing her temples. She definitely needed a break.

"The report from Sasuke!"

Tsunade's hazel eyes narrowed at her pupil. "It's right here." She tossed a scroll up and caught it. "Along with a message for you."

Sakura dove headfirst towards the desk and grabbed the scroll. Unfortunately Tsunade didn't feel like letting go. The squad of genin watched with wide eyes as the Hokage wrestled a pink haired ball of fury.

"GIVE ME THE SCROLL!"

"GET OFF ME!"

"NOT UNTIL YOU GIVE ME THAT SCROLL!"

"NEVER!"

"DAMN YOU!"

"NO! DAMN YOU!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YOU LITTLE PUNK!"

"YOU BIG CHESTED SUCKY GAMBLER!"

"WHINY LITTLE SASUKE FAN!"

"DRUNKARD!"

"NOW YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!"

-

-

Shizune entered the Hokage's office with a small smile on her face. She had just finished filing several scrolls and could soon go home for the evening where she could get some rest. Humming a random tune she opened the door to see Tsunade holding Sakura in a headlock while beating her head mercilessly with a scroll. Sakura was trying to free herself and opted to grind her heel into the Hokage's toe. A team of genin cowered in the corner, their eyes large in fear.

"What?" Shizune dropped her stack of papers which narrowly missed hitting Tonton. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she shrieked bringing the fight to a screeching halt.

"Uhhh…" Tsunade gulped "Training?"

"Yeah! We were developing a new jutsu…. for wrestlers!"

"Sumo wrestlers!" the Hokage quickly added.

Shizune stared at the two blankly. "YOU!" she pointed to Tsunade "You're supposed to finish your paperwork and give these genin a mission! And YOU!" her finger moved to Sakura "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home resting!"

"I came to read the scroll from Sasuke's group." Sakura grunted as she pushed the large blonde off her back. "But this lummox wouldn't let me!" she death glared her teacher who returned the glare.

"You never asked! You just dove towards me like a maniac!"

Sakura sighed with her head downward "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how Sasuke is doing."

Tsunade's hazel eyes lit up "Oh, that's what it as about? Here!" she tossed the scroll to Sakura. The genin team in the background sweat dropped.

The Hokage turned to the team. "Um, can you guys wait till tomorrow?"

They nodded their heads and eagerly raced out of the Hokage's office. Sighing the blonde woman turned to Sakura who began reading.

The pink haired woman smiled with tears bright in her eyes. Shizune eyed her curiously "What does it say?" she asked while bending down to pick up the papers.

"He-he's okay!" Sakura's voice cracked as she beamed happily at the scroll. A small piece of paper fell down from inside the scroll. Sakura quickly bent down to retrieve it. "What's this?"

_Sakura,_

_Don't let anything happen to the baby or else!!!_

_Sasuke_

Shizune stared at Sakura like she was crazy as she read the note aloud and burst into tears while smiling. "That's…" the assistant searched for the right words "very unsentimental of him."

"No, no." Sakura shook her head "That's his way of telling me to take care. In addition, by showing that the baby is his primary concern he's letting me know that he's alright. Strange I know, but I'm just happy to know that he's alright." She sniffled as she tucked the piece of paper in her pocket while Shizune still stared at her wide eyed.

"Arigato Tsunade-shishou… I'll see you tomorrow.

"Alright," Tsunade replied while rubbing life back into her toe "Get some rest okay?"

She smiled at her teacher "I know." Smiling happily she walked out the office, content that her husband was safe.

-

-

Sasuke grunted as a newly acquired fan girl squealed over his looks to her mother who joined in the squealing. What was with these village idiots? All he wanted was some bread. He figured that going to a humble looking bakery like this would increase the odds of his gaining something decent. He was wrong.

The girl wasn't bad looking; she had long wavy blonde hair and green eyes. Her eyes almost reminded him of Sakura's. Thinking back on it, he wondered if he should've written more in the note. Then again, it would be foolish. What if an enemy read it? He sighed as the girl returned.

"Sir?" she half giggled, "Your bread will be ready in a moment."

"Hn."

She turned around but paused to face him again. "I am pretty surprised that you stopped by here though."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Well…" she twirled a lock of blonde hair as she spoke. Another movement that reminded him of Sakura. "Most people come here to Kaoru for only one reason."

'_Kaoru. Kaoru.' _Sasuke frantically searched his mind. Where had he heard of this place before?

The girl smiled shyly at him "Surely you know of our world famous strawberry ice cream?"

Sasuke's onyx eyes widened. _Strawberry Ice Cream?_

_Flashback_

"_Sorry about that." She shrugged guiltily "Their strawberry ice cream tastes like crap. It's nothing like the stuff from before."_

_Sasuke watched her briefly before observing people passing by. "Hn?"_

"_We used to get really good strawberry ice cream." Sakura continued, "It was imported from this village called Kaoru. Weird name huh? Well apparently this small village was named after a famous hero. Anyways, they were known for their awesome strawberry ice cream. Mom used to get it all the time, she and I would eat it every Sunday." Her eyes softened at the memory._

"_I remember being in love with that ice cream. It was really expensive though; I always wondered how she got it. I guess I know now…" she gave him a secretive smirk before continuing, "We never get it any more, but that was my favorite dessert. I stopped eating to impress you. I haven't eaten it in years."_

_Sasuke listened to the tale with the usual patience of an Uchiha. Inwardly he wondered why she was ranting on and on about strawberry ice cream._

_End Flashback_

He realized that while he was reminiscing, the girl was waving her hands frantically in his face. "Hello? Are you-" she gasped as he caught her wrist. Her cheeks instantly flamed making him groan inwardly.

"Where can I buy it?" he asked suddenly.

"Buy what?" the girl blinked.

"Strawberry Ice cream."

She smiled "When you exit here turn left and go on. You'll see a sign that says 'World Famous Strawberry Ice cream'. The place will be across the street from the sign. You can't miss it!"

"Kaori!" the girl's mother called from inside the kitchen "the bread is ready!"

The girl, Kaori winked at him before running through a doorway into the kitchen. She arrived a second later with a bag that smelled of freshly baked bread. The very scent made Sasuke ravenous. She handed it to him with a smile. "Hn. Thanks."

Kaori grinned "Your welcome! Oh, mister?"

He turned to face her, irritation obvious on his face. "What?"

She pointed demurely to the ring on his finger "Tell your lady I said congrats on a great catch."

His eyes widened slightly. Then he did something absolutely amazing. He smiled. It wasn't a Naruto-grin, but a soft, barely-there kind of smile. "I will."

-

-

Once outside the small bread shop, Sasuke immediately began eating the loaf. It was warm and delicious, with a warm cinnamon nutty type flavor.

"Oi! Sasuke-teme!" the raven haired man turned to see his obnoxious friend Naruto waving at him.

"Aren't you going to share?" the blonde demanded angrily.

"No."

Naruto hit his open palm with his fist "Oh yeah, I just remembered! Neji says he got a lead on 'his' whereabouts. He says to meet up with him at the village gates in exactly ten minutes."

Black eyes narrowed "Take it!" he tossed the loaf to the grinning blonde "Tell him I'll be there in fifteen minutes. I have to make a purchase."

"Ooh! You're going shopping! Can I go?"

"No."

Pouting the blonde went on his knees and began fake-crying. "Why not?"

"Two reasons." Sasuke held up two fingers.

"Number one: Because you're an idiot."

"Number Two: This is something I have to do on my own." He turned around abruptly leaving an angry Naruto.

He smirked as he came within sight of the aforementioned sign. "Time to do a little shopping."

-

-

End Chapter

Short? I know. My Dad is on call and I have to hurry this one up. I really wanted to update now so yea… I might not be able to update this week unless I update immediately after school which will suck but… whatever.

The votes are in! Dogs are officially better than cats! That decision was a hard one for me since I work at an animal shelter and love both animals equally. One animal I do not like is a guinea pig. They smell and are whiny. Okay, since this has been fun I decided to do a question for every chapter thingamabob.

Question of the day: Which power would you rather have? Flight or invisibility? (You know, kinda like Sue Storm from the Fantastic Four) Me, I'd rather have…. I dunno…. Flight? Then again I'm scared of heights. Maybe invisibility.

Goal for this chapter is 410+ reviews. Please and thank you! OMG!!! I hope I break 400. That's been my dream ever since I say SPAMOLA!


	18. Chapter 18

Woooow… Chapter 18 whodathunk that I'd make it this far. I must say I am genuinely surprised. I honestly believed that this story would crash and burn.

Oh yeah real quick, I don't go fanfic surfing anymore so if you want me to read your story just ask, k?

Oh and one more thing. Everyone is betting on Orochiwonka (borrowed from SasoriXShizuka from tokyopop. –hearts-) kidnapping Sakura. Well, if you know me you'd realize that I'm gonna do whatever you don't expect. Curious? Read and find out. Bwahahahaha!

Disclaimer: Neji left me for good. –sniff- but I did sneak inside Kishimoto's house and kidnap Itachi-kun! Woot!

Warning: Long, serious chapter ahead.

-

-

Shinji stood in the middle of the dense forest waiting for the Uchiha. Neji and Naruto had gone ahead to investigate the lead.

The silver-blue haired man sighed impatiently, where exactly was the captain anyway? He folded his arms and leaned against a tree. A second later he sensed the familiar chakra presence as the Uchiha came towards him at full speed.

"Captain Uchiha, you're late."

Shinji couldn't tell but he was pretty sure that Sasuke was smirking from behind his mask. "Hn. I know. I got held up."

The silver-blue haired man prepared to follow the rest of his team when Sasuke grabbed hold of his arm.

"Wait. I need a favor from you."

Shinji raised an eyebrow from behind his mask. This was new. The Uchiha rarely spoke with him, and now he was asking a favor? He watched the soon to be captain as he pulled out a package.

"Strawberry Ice cream?" he asked in wonder. That was what had taken him so long? Ice cream? In any other situation he would have been laughing by now.

Sasuke nodded "I know that you have an affinity with ice. I need you to keep this frozen."

This time Shinji did laugh. Sasuke's eye twitched.

"What's so funny?" he growled under his breath.

It took Shinji a full minute to catch his breath "Nothing. I'll do it."

Sasuke nodded, he would thank him later. Right now he felt like strangling the man. How dare he laugh at him? Unfortunately, he needed this man's power. Sasuke remembered his shock when he first found out that Shinji's clan was a bounce off Haku's, the young boy he met on his first actual mission. That fact didn't make Sasuke like Shinji any more, he never was really fond of the feminine male.

Shinji even bore a faint resemblance to his distant cousin. His hair was shorter and a silver-blue color, but his general features were the same.

Shaking his head Sasuke watched as Shinji performed a single hand seal. A thin coating of ice snaked its way around the circumference of the container.

"This special ice won't melt unless under extreme heat. It will protect the ice cream and keep it cold for as long as needed." Shinji explained as he handed the container back to the miffed Uchiha.

"Hn." Sasuke placed it in his pouch "Let's go."

"Roger."

-

-

"Again!"

"I don't think I should…"

"Come on! I can handle it!"

Tenten sighed, "But Tsunade-sama specifically said for you to take it easy. I don't want to end up hurting you."

Uchiha Sakura, who stood at the opposite end of the training field, gave a dramatic sigh. "Stop being such a square and send more at me!" she stamped her feet childishly "NOW!"

The brunette sighed again before pulling out her old training scroll. "Alright, but I did warn you!"

She quickly summoned and sent a barrage of weapons flying towards the pink haired female. Sakura smirked in anticipation as the projectiles and various blades came closer. She drew a hand-to-hand kunai and gracefully deflected them all.

Tenten broke of out her lethargy and smirked "Let's amp it up a little!" she summoned an even larger barrage.

Sakura had worked her way halfway through when a sudden pain shot from her stomach all the way through her body. Grunting, she doubled over and clutched her midsection.

Tenten's brown eyes widened in panic as the projectiles came even closer to her prone figure. "SAKURA!"

Sakura looked up to see the weapons coming at her and fast. "Oh crap."

Her vision was immediately filled with off-white. "Wha-?"

She glanced upward to see Hyuga Hinata standing in front of her. All the weapons were lying strewn on the ground.

"Hinata… did you…?"

The young Hyuga turned to her pink haired friend. "Sakura…" she said, panting slightly "this is why Tsunade-sama wishes for you to take it easy."

Sakura hung her head. "I know I just… I'm so…"

She shrieked as she was tackled to the ground and enveloped in a bear hug. "Sakura! I'm so glad you didn't die! Sasuke and Tsunade would kill me if something happened to you!" Tenten cried while squeezing her friend even harder.

"Can't…breathe…"

"Tenten!" Hinata reprimanded sharply "Get off her. You know that's not good for her."

"Oh, sorry…"

The brunette ruefully extended a hand. Hinata watched as she helped Sakura up. "Sakura?"

"Yeah Hinata?"

"Do you…" she lowered her eyes sadly "Do you think that they're okay?"

Sakura bit her lip as she instantly realized who she was talking about. To be honest, Sakura wasn't sure herself. After spending so many days alone, she became more and more concerned about their safety.

She grinned "Yeah! Of course they are! Just you wait, they'll be home before you know it!" she added an even faker laugh "Sasuke will be back to his emo self, Naruto will be begging for ramen, Shinji will be… Kami only knows what that boy does, and Neji will still have a pole up his-"

"Hey!"

Sakura stuck her tongue out at the offended brunette "Anyways, don't worry about them. They'll be back… they have to be!"

Hinata smiled back at her friend, her pale eyes still filled with concern. "Y-you're right…it's f-foolish to worry about them."

-

-

Uchiha Sasuke stood beside his best friend as they listened to the Hyuga give his report. "If my calculations are correct…" he continued. Sasuke stifled a yawn, the Hyuga sure was long-winded "he should be near Hero's Canyon."

His onyx eyes flickered in anticipation "Right. So what are we waiting for?"

"A plan." Neji sneered, "We can't just jump in like idiots. Don't you think he'll be waiting for us?"

"So let's not disappoint him."

"Yeah!" Naruto enthusiastically pumped his fist into the air.

Neji shook his head "You both are-"

"Listen," Sasuke cut him off "I'll go in first with Shinji behind me. Naruto will deal with the encircling of the creep and you make sure he doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve. Easy right?"

Neji opened his mouth to say something but instantly shut it. "Fine. I suppose your plan is passable. Let's do it."

The group instantly disappeared, leaving only a little smoke behind.

-

-

Sasuke leapt through the trees, his Sharingan deactivated. He learned from a recent experience that Orochimaru knew how to deceive his eyes. The best thing to do was to wait until battle to activate his kekkei genkai.

He closed his eyes in preparation, allowing his senses to take over. He listened to the sound of Shinji's steady steps from several feet behind him. He made sure to let the silver haired shinobi know that he wanted him to keep his distance. This fight was his.

The landscape eventually cleared, giving way to a large clearing. Jutting out of the center of the clearing was a cliff and the rest of Hero's canyon. Sasuke smirked from behind his mask. Sakura and her friends would go crazy over the landscape. He didn't understand that about females, why did they like little stuff like that? See one canyon and you've seen them all.

Sasuke inwardly reminded himself not to let thoughts of the pink haired kunoichi cloud his mind during battle. That would be the last thing that he needed. He sped up leaving Shinji in the dust.

As he neared the canyon his eyes caught sight of a figure near the edge of one of the cliffs. "Bingo."

The figure's long hair blew gently in the breeze it turned towards him. Sasuke stopped immediately as he caught sight of pink.

"S-sakura?" he asked in disbelief.

Sakura smiled at him and waved. "Sasuke-kun!"

His eyes widened, he quickly picked up pace until he was only a few feet away from the pink haired woman.

"What are you doing here?"

She put a finger to her lips and giggled. A definite 'Sakura' action. "I followed you guys! Then I caught sight of Orochimaru around here and knew you'd catch up."

He blinked "Why did you follow us? You could've gotten hurt. What about the baby?"

Her green eyes flickered in confusion at the word 'baby' but quickly went back to normal. "I'm fine, see?" she twirled around "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Sakura approached him slowly, her smile still in tact.

Sasuke continued to stare in disbelief. Everything was genuine, but something wasn't right. Deep down inside, his inner self was screaming for him to run.

Before he could make any decision Sakura lunged.

-

-

Naruto stood at the edge of another cliff which was higher than the one where Sasuke was. He had just arrived in time to see Sasuke talking with a long haired figure. He squinted his eyes and what he saw made him nearly fall over in shock.

"Sakura-chan?" he sputtered.

Hyuga Neji appeared behind him a second afterward. "What?" he asked.

"Look!" Naruto pointed towards where Sasuke stood "That's Sakura!"

The Hyuga said nothing more but quickly activated his Byakugan and followed where Naruto pointed. His pale eyes widened "No… that's not."

It was Naruto's turn to ask "What?"

"That's… our target…"

The blonde stared for a few minutes. Neji sighed as he waited for the information to sink into the idiots head.

Reality hit Naruto like a ton of ramen "THAT'S OROCHIMARU!"

"Yes… but why isn't Sasuke…" Neji's voice trailed off. His eyes suddenly grew panicked "Naruto! He doesn't know!? Hasn't he activated his Sharingan?"

Naruto frowned and folded his arms "You remember what that old hag Tsunade told him before we left don't you?"

_Flashback_

"_Listen carefully." The Hokage propped her elbows up on her desk as she addressed the anbu team. "When fighting with Orochimaru, you must be extra careful. Sasuke, he's used to dealing with the Sharingan by now. Whatever you do… do not activate your Sharingan unless in battle. Not a moment before or he'll pull all the moves on you."_

_Sasuke nodded "Hai."_

_End Flashback_

Neji's body stiffened at the memory. "We have to get to him, and fast!"

Naruto formed the hand seal for a shadow clone jutsu when he stopped, his face suddenly pale with horror. Neji turned to where Naruto was looking.

Sakura had approached an unwitting Sasuke and stabbed him with a kunai knife. Both watched as Sasuke's body suddenly went limp. 'Sakura' grabbed his body and with a chakra enforced leap went flying into the air. Clutching him tightly, 'Sakura' began spinning Sasuke's body into a nose dive over the edge of the cliff.

"NO!"

-

-

Uchiha Sakura was weeding the garden outside her house when she felt a sudden pain. She gritted her teeth as she tried to bear it. This pain wasn't one of her normal 'pregnancy' ones; it was coming from her heart.

Her green eyes widened as she tried to understand it. Breathing in slowly she activated a small healing jutsu. She smiled "All better."

Even after the pain was gone, she still couldn't understand why she had this sudden sense of foreboding.

She decided to see Tsunade later and ask her about it. Trying to shake the feeling off, she resumed her weeding.

-

-

It had been two days since Sakura had that strange feeling. It eventually faded leaving her in a state of semi relief. She was at home cleaning the kitchen when she heard a knock at the door.

"Coming!" she yelled as she dropped the sponge and wiped her dampened hands on her apron. Suspecting that it was Tenten, she decided to take her own sweet time as she straightened various pieces of furniture on her way to the door.

She finally reached it and swung the door open. What she saw caused her to step back in shock. "N-Naruto-kun! You're home!"

Sakura hugged her friend tightly to her as he half-heartedly returned the embrace. "How was the mission? Are you hurt?" she pulled away to inspect his body "why are you frowning?" she demanded.

Naruto clenched his fists; his body trembling "Sakura-chan…" his voice was full of pain causing Sakura to stop. She gazed up at his contorted face in confusion. "It's… its Sasuke."

Sakura stared up at her friend as her mind registered what he just said. '_No' _she refused to believe what she was hearing. "Well…" she said slowly "is he hurt? Why didn't you just say so?" she bent down to put on her shoes "Hold on a second and I'll be at the hospital before-"

The saddened blonde grasped her arm. "Sakura… he's dead."

-

-

It took even longer for Sakura to register those words. Her whole world tilted as she stumbled forward dizzily, her only support being her friend's steady arm.

"W-what?" she managed to ask after several minutes.

Naruto patiently led her to the couch and let her flop down; her previously joyous eyes were now dull as she stared at him awaiting an explanation.

Keeping his eyes averted from his pained friend's face, Naruto related the tale up to the point where Orochimaru nose dived Sasuke off the cliff into the seemingly endless chasm.

"Why didn't you save him?" Sakura demanded angrily, her voice strained as her eyes quickly filled with tears.

"He didn't want me to."

"What?"

_Flashback_

"_SASUKE!" Naruto screamed and quickly leapt onto the cliff edge where his best friend once stood. He watched as the two figures began to grow smaller._

"_Naruto!" he heard Sasuke gasp out before hurling an object towards him. Naruto caught it and prepared to dive when he heard "No! Stay… -cough- he'll kill you! Take that to Sakura!"_

_Before Naruto could make a clear decision Neji appeared behind him and held onto him for his dear life. "LET GO!" Naruto's grew feral as he watched his best friend disappear from sight._

"_No, you heard him. You'll only get killed."_

_Struggling even harder, the blonde kitsune managed to break out of Neji's grasp only to be grabbed by Shinji. With both shinobi holding him struggling proved futile._

_He barely managed to move forward when he heard a sickening thud come from the bottom of the chasm. All three ninja froze. "SASUKE!"_

_Naruto prepared to dive when Neji grabbed his arm and pointed, "It's unsafe. Come this way."_

_Following the Hyuga, Naruto scaled the cliff from a completely opposite side. The trip down was long and tedious. Naruto stumbled several times in his impatience but managed to catch himself, Sasuke's package was still in his pocket._

_After almost an hour of carefully scaling downward they reached the rocky bottom. Shinji closed his eyes and groaned. If Sasuke hit this ground he was surely doomed. Light was scarce in this dark chasm._

_Neji activated his Byakugan and quickly scanned his surroundings. "I see nothing."_

_The blonde stumbled blindly towards his current teammate. "So he's alright?"_

"_I don't know. Let me check again."_

_The wait seemed to last forever for Naruto. He gritted his teeth as Neji took his time making sure that he missed nothing. He growled impatiently, how long could it take? _

"_I… I see something." Neji said at last._

"_Where?"_

"_This way, follow carefully."_

_Keeping his eye on the faint form of Hyuga Neji, Naruto carefully shuffled along, his heart pounding heavily. He stumbled over several sharp rocks but otherwise managed to keep an even pace. He listened nervously as Shinji followed easily._

_They must have walked for five minutes before he heard Neji's short command. "Stop."_

_Pushing his way past the Hyuga, Naruto looked down at what looked to be the still form of Uchiha Sasuke. "T-teme?" his voice wavered._

_Neji jerked his head to the left "Look out!"_

_He grabbed a hold of both his teammates and dove to the right as something leapt over their heads and crouched beside Sasuke's body. Neji glared "Orochimaru."_

"_Yesss…" the form of Orochimaru/Kabuto laughed as it scooped Sasuke up._

"_Let him go!" Naruto yelled running towards him, his fists drawn back. Before he could punch Orochimaru jumped out of the way with Sasuke slung over his shoulder._

"_Too late…" the fusion laughed as it straightened its body "It's too late for your friend… he's dead and he's all mine."_

_With a chilling laugh the fusion disappeared leaving a stunned anbu team. Naruto bit his lip as he reached into his back pocket to pull out the package. He held it up to the only ray of light that broke through the density of the cliffs._

"_Strawberry Ice cream."_

_End Flashback_

Sakura stared blankly at the container in her hand. She glanced up at Naruto who gave her a slow shrug his eyes were already damp. "I'm sorry."

Sakura wasn't aware that he had left already. She was still staring at the container of strawberry ice cream. She wasn't sure how many hours went by. Her hand was already numb from the thin layer of ice coating it. "Strawberry Ice Cream…" she said slowly as if unsure of her voice "He remembered…"

It was then that she dropped all of her shinobi training and crumpled to the ground, sobs wracking throughout her whole body.

-

-

It was only an hour before Sasuke's official funeral. Uzumaki Naruto stood at the bridge where his team used to meet up in the old days, his azure eyes lost all of their shine as they dully watched the water pass from underneath him.

"I am a failure."

"I'm a freaking failure!" he pounded his fist on the rail which surprisingly held up.

"No you're not!" a voice said from behind him. Naruto turned in confusion to see Hyuga Hinata dressed in a black kimono, a white lily tucked behind one ear. Her pale lavender eyes no longer showing fear, only determined concern.

"Don't say that ever again!" she yelled, her fists clenched at both sides.

Naruto's eyes were filled with wonder. Was this the shy Hyuga he had always known? "Hinata-chan… why do you say that. Because of my weakness he's dead."

She shook her head defiantly, teardrops slowly spilling from both eyes. "No… you're not weak. M-my cousin told me all about it." She said slowly as she leaned against the rail beside him, her eyes fixed forward. "It seems to me that Sasuke-san chose it. I-if you leapt after him… you'd be dead."

Naruto snorted indifferently "And? So what… this village would be better off without me anyway."

His eyes widened at the sudden stinging pain in his cheek. He stared at Hinata in shock almost not comprehending that she had just slapped him. "Hi-Hinata?"

"Stop it! Just stop all of it!" her tiny voice had suddenly grown stronger "Don't say such things! I-if you died… I don't know what I'd do with myself…. I-I'm glad you didn't jump after him."

Naruto continued staring at the Hyuga. What did she mean by that? His mind slowly reeled as she sniffled. His lips turned up into a small smile as understanding dawned on him. He remembered what she had said to him many days ago. She loved but was not loved back.

"Hinata-chan?"

She turned to him in confusion her whole body trembling slightly. "Yes?"

Her eyes grew wide as he suddenly pulled her against him. Her face turned scarlet as he tightened his embrace. "Thank you."

Hinata closed her eyes as she leaned her face against his chest. '_Naruto'_

_-_

_-_

It was raining gently as several of Konoha's shinobi and well wishers stood surrounding the newly engraved gravestone. Tsunade stood at the head of the group, gazing down at the stone where several flowers were placed. It hurt her to know that Sakura would have to go through so much pain. She was slightly relieved that she gave them that scroll when she did. "At least the Uchiha clan isn't dead."

Sakura stood beside her mentor her eyes fixated on the gravestone. She no longer shed tears. A sudden determination coursed through her veins. Sasuke was not dead. She didn't know how she knew it, but Sasuke was certainly not dead. She had protested the funeral under that argument, but her mentor brushed it off and labeled it as 'stress' and 'typical'.

Uzumaki Naruto stood on the other side of Tsunade with Hyuga Hinata by his side. She held his hand tightly for support as they gazed down sadly.

Sakura leaned forward to get a better look of Naruto. He glanced at her curiously.

"You know he's not dead."

Naruto returned his gaze to the gravestone. He didn't know how to answer his friend. He only hoped that she was right.

-

-

Darkness. Endless darkness. He groaned in pain before turning to the side but found that motion like that was impossible. Some form of outer bond was restricting him.

Someone flicked a light switch. He heard soft footsteps. "Are you awake?"

It was Sakura's voice. His eyes opened. Was he home?

In front of him stood the Orochimaru/Kabuto fusion. That was definitely something he didn't want to wake up to.

"Fooled you didn't I?" the monster asked with a demented grin spread across both faces.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He was definitely not in Konoha anymore.

He listened dejectedly as the monster had its laugh at him. Apparently Orochimaru had been studying him for some time and learning of his new weakness. He then spent a week observing Sakura.

Sasuke was beyond pissed. How dare that bastard use Sakura against him. _'Stupid Sakura, it's all your fault for making me care for you.'_

-

-

End Chapter

Very serious, I know. I apologize but this is kinda leading into the ending. –evil laugh- and then I can get started on my Tenten centric AU fic which will probably come out between today and tomorrow.

Okay last time's question was Invisibility or Flight and flight won by two votes. Today's question is for all you true Americans out there. Batman or Superman? I can't vote but I think I'm on Batman's side. He's got guts.

Goal for today is 490 or 500+ please and thank you!!!!! I would really like to break 500 though.


	19. Chapter 19

Wow will you look at all those reviews… Thanks a ton guys. I'm really nervous about this chapter. I know how I want this story to end but I'm not sure how I wanted to lay things out.

**Disclaimer: I lost Itachi, Sasuke killed him. So now I own Naruto. Maintenance is pretty simple, just give him ramen and he stays.**

**-**

**-**

It had been a few days since Sasuke's death. Things in Konoha were very still. There were rarely any long-distance missions, mainly patrolling the border.

Ever since the death, Tsunade ordered that Sakura never go anywhere unsupervised. She was constantly surrounded by at least three capable shinobi, especially during shopping trips. The trio was mainly Naruto, Hinata, and Rock Lee, the strangest trio in Konoha.

"Sakura! Surely you do not want to buy something as unyouthful as chocolate!" Rock Lee declared youthfully while plucking the bar out of her hand.

She glared at the hyperactive boy as he sped towards the grocery section in search of something more youthful to eat. Shopping was always difficult. Naruto appeared behind Sakura's dejected figure as she glared in the direction that Lee ran off. At that moment, she swore never to go to the super mart with Rock Lee again.

"Bushy brows driving you crazy?" Naruto grinned. Sakura nodded slowly while gritting her teeth.

Sasuke's death had a large influence on the new happenings in Konoha. Ever since then, Naruto was more serious. He dedicated all the time that he didn't spend with Hinata to training. He had become more powerful and definitely more focused. He still maintained his bubbly attitude, although sometimes it came out forced. Being with Hinata helped him to stay cheerful.

Sakura smiled as Hinata walked inside the store. "Perimeter secure." She called out.

Instead of giving her crazy looks, several shoppers just nodded their heads understandingly. Everyone in Konoha knew about what happened. Most shoppers gave her pitying looks for being one of the youngest widows in the leaf village.

"Sakura-chan? A-are you going t-to buy anything yet? We-we've been here f-for over an hour." Hinata's soft voice broke Sakura out of her angry thoughts. She turned to her shy friend with a slow smile.

"Well I DID want some chocolate… but old spandex boy took them from me." She gestured towards Lee who was running towards her with a bag of broccoli in his hands.

"Broccoli is not only youthful! It's green!" he sounded for all the world like a salesman.

Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata sweat dropped.

"I think I'll stay with chocolate, thanks."

-

-

That night Sakura couldn't sleep. Her mind wandered as she stared up at the ceiling before sitting up in her bed.

Sasuke wasn't dead. He couldn't be. There wasn't any explanation for that feeling, but she just knew that he wasn't dead. Her emerald eyes closed slowly as she brushed some of her loose strands of hair behind her air. Her eyes slowly opened as she stared straight ahead.

"Sasuke…" she whispered. "Where are you?"

She leaned back and tried to get back to sleep but found it impossible. She blamed her restlessness on her pregnancy and Sasuke's disappearance. She mainly blamed it on Naruto, Kiba, and Lee having a rather loud game of poker downstairs.

"CHEATER! I SAW YOU SLIP THAT CARD IN YOUR SLEEVE!" Sakura could hear Naruto scream.

"SHUT UP YOU ANNOYING LITTLE BLONDE! I WAS NOT CHEATING! I SNEEZED OKAY?!?" Kiba screamed back.

"YOSH! CHEATING IS UNYOUTHFUL!"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto and Kiba yelled in unison before returning to their bickering. Sakura smiled, they would never change. They would always make her smile…

-

-

Minutes seemed like hours in this hell hole. Hours felt like days. Days felt like weeks. The sound of footsteps woke him out of his temporary daze. Someone flicked the light switch. Even with his eyes shut the lights were blinding.

"Hello Sasuke…" Orochimaru said his name slowly, as if he were enjoying it. "Tell me, how did you sleep?"

Sasuke slowly opened his onyx eyes and weakly attempted a glare at the snake man. "Go to hell."

This time the Orochimaru/Kabuto fusion laughed slowly. "I already have."

The Uchiha closed his eyes slowly as he hung his head. Being chained to a wall didn't help things. His wrists and ankles were bound against the wall in a metal lock. The keys were on the other side of the room. To top it all the locks had a special chakra guard on them preventing him from attempting any jutsu. Every time he tried activating his jutsu electricity would course through his body.

He felt his chest heave as he coughed. "What do you want?"

The monster approached him slowly, a sickening expression on his face. "You."

Sasuke smirked "Sorry but I'm married."

Golden eyes widened in shock before Orochimaru threw back his head and laughed. "It seems that the pink haired kunoichi truly has changed you."

"Yeah, she really has."

The confession seemed to throw the monster off. He stared at Sasuke for a while before chuckling it off. "I want your power, your strength, your kekkei genkai, everything. If you won't give it to me, I'll take it."

"How will you take it?" Sasuke asked tiredly. "If you try to switch bodies, I'll just kill you again. Without that stupid kiss-up, you'd be gone."

"I agree. I owe much to Kabuto. He is the one who saved me." Orochimaru spoke almost fondly as his hands played around with the locks on Sasuke's wrists. "It is actually he that gave me the ability to pull this. After all, there are more ways than one to obtain an Uchiha's powers."

The smirk which the snake-man gave him sent shivers down Sasuke's spine. He felt cold with fear as he gazed down at the monster.

-

-

It was early morning as Sakura slowly woke up to the sound of someone snoring. She rolled over in her bed to see a fast asleep Naruto curled up in a ball on her floor. She smiled fondly at her friend before grabbing her pillow and smacking him on the head with it.

"OW! Sakura-chan, what was that for?" he sat up quickly and glared groggily at his friend.

She pointed an accusing figure at the sleepy boy. "You were snoring."

"So?"

"Snoring is not allowed in this household."

Naruto rolled his eyes dramatically before flopping back down. He hit his head on the foot of the nightstand.

Sakura giggled as he clutched his sore head "Naruto-kun you're such a moron."

"Thanks a lot."

She flipped her legs over the side of the bed and tentatively stepped down on the cool floor. Pulling her robe closed she tapped her chin with her forefinger. "Where is Kiba-kun and Lee-kun?"

Naruto slowly stood up and gave a loud yawn. "They lost the game so they had to sleep outside."

She shook her head disapprovingly "Naruto-kun…"

"Are you hungry? I know I am!"

Sakura sighed loudly as she exited the room, leaving her friend behind her. "Fine. Let's get something to eat."

-

-

It was morning again. The only way that Sasuke could tell was because a servant had stopped by to feed him breakfast. It was bad enough that he was chained to a wall but to be hand-fed was just downright humiliating. Now if it were Sakura feeding him … well that's a different matter. He grimaced all during the feeding. Breakfast consisted of tasteless goop; he grimaced once it was finished.

Biting his lip Sasuke almost called out to the retreating servant. Being an Uchiha he was a lone wolf by nature. However, any form of company would be welcomed right now. Except for…

"You've eaten… good." Sasuke shut his eyes as the snake man, monster, whatever approached him.

"What do you want this time?"

The monster chuckled "Nothing really… I just want to do a little… observation."

Sasuke kept his eyes shut, but his senses were screaming 'predator'. He vainly struggled against the bonds which only proved to be a source of amusement for Orochimaru. Sighing heavily, Sasuke leaned his head against the wall.

"You never cease to amuse me." The creature gave another laugh as he wrote something down on a notepad.

"What are you doing?"

"I told you. I'm making observations. The Kabuto side of me is kicking in."

The Uchiha opened his eyes slowly; his gave fixated on the fluorescent lights. He narrowed his eyes as one of the lights flickered. There was a short in one of the wires.

He continued to study the lights as Orochimaru openly studied him. The snake man/monster said no more to his captive. His golden eyes never left the Uchiha's powerful body.

"Soon it'll all be mine."

-

-

What started out as a nice sunny day ended up turning into a cold, windy afternoon. Sakura hugged herself as she hurried down the streets of Konoha. Lee, Kiba, and Naruto trailed closely behind.

She made a sharp turn into the Yamanaka flower shop where Inoichi stood behind the counter. He smiled at the sight of his daughter's best friend.

"Good afternoon Inoichi-san." Sakura politely greeted "Where is Ino?"

"Ino? She left a while ago. Preparations for the wedding really got her and my wife down." He sighed heavily as he propped one elbow up on the counter. "To tell you the truth, I'm glad that I'm stuck on shop-duty. It sure beats handling things at the temple."

Sakura giggled. "Well, good luck with everything! Oh, tell Ino that I stopped by. I guess I'll see her later." With a brief wave she exited the store followed by her entourage of noisy shinobi.

She hugged herself even tighter as a brisk fall wind blew past her causing her to shudder. Naruto quickly handed her his Orange jacket. She tried not to frown in distaste. Reddish pink and Orange did not match.

-

-

It was soon evening in the sound village. Sasuke could only tell because it was his evening feeding time. This time it was a different servant; it was a girl no older than fourteen. Her short purple hair was held up in a spiky ponytail. She blushed as she slowly approached him.

'_There's one in every village.'_ He thought dryly.

"Um…" the girl fidgeted "Hi."

Ordinarily, Sasuke would give her a brief grunt and then do his best to ignore her. However, after spending a week and a half chained up to a wall with only Orochimaru to talk to, any company was welcome.

"Hi."

The girl brightened a little at his seemingly positive response. "So um, I'm supposed to feed you and all… yeah… um…"

"What's your name?" his audacity shocked even him. Since when was Sasuke sociable? 

Her cheeks brightened "I'm Keiko."

"Keiko." He said her name slowly before nodding. "I like it. I'm Sasuke… as you can already tell."

Keiko gave a small giggle before approaching him a little more boldly. "O-Orochimaru-sama said that you'd be cold. You're actually pretty nice."

Sasuke smirked "Boredom can do a lot to a man."

She smiled brightly "Open up!" she held a piece of chicken in her chopsticks. Sasuke rolled his eyes before opening his mouth and accepting the morsel.

He chewed slowly as Keiko watched him uncertainly. He nodded his head making Keiko smile once more, her dark gray eyes brightening. She giggled again before extending another piece of food.

"This is pretty good." He said after swallowing "It's a lot better than the shit they gave me for breakfast."

Keiko was grinning now "R-really?"

"Yeah."

"Well… I don't mean to brag, but I made it."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow "You're a pretty good cook. Who taught you?"

"My mother… before she died." Her cheerful smile slowly fell and was replaced with a saddened expression.

Sasuke found no reason to speak so he only watched the young girl's face. She lifted her head up to meet his questioning gaze. "But that was a long time ago." She said slowly.

"Is that what made you join Orochimaru?"

She gave a weak smile "Yeah, after she died I had nothing to live for. Then Orochimaru-sama came to me and told me that he would make me useful. He said that he could use my powers and that I would have somewhere to belong."

The Uchiha was silent once again. How many times had he heard that same story? That bastard Orochimaru would find the unwanted and the weak and promise them strength. In the end he fulfilled his end of the bargain, but it was just wrong. Sasuke shut his eyes as he remembered how willingly he came into Orochimaru's clutches. He was stronger, but not in a good way. Not a day went past when he thought about his choice. He did kill Itachi, but was it worth it?

"Was it worth it?" he said aloud causing Keiko to blink.

"I don't know…" she said slowly "I really don't know…"

-

-

It was evening time. After spending a day loitering around Konoha and visiting a few friends, Sakura came home to an empty house. It was the same every day. She looked around the empty living room before sadly dragging her feet into the kitchen.

Hinata, Naruto, and Kiba soon followed her. The three shinobi seated themselves on her couch as she prepared her meal. They had eaten some ramen earlier and Sakura didn't have the appetite for any, so she decided to eat at home.

Sighing to herself, Sakura pulled out a few vegetables and began chopping. She soon lost concentration as she became lost in thought. Where was Sasuke? That same question stayed in her mind for the past week and a half. She gritted her teeth as the knife slipped and sliced her index finger. Without even thinking about it she activated a simple healing jutsu and closed the wound, her mind still on the whereabouts of her husband.

"Sasuke…"

-

-

That night Sakura decided not to sleep. She snuck past Hinata who was guarding her room and crept downstairs past Naruto who slept on her couch. She couldn't help but smile at his sprawled out figure.

Tip toeing carefully; she entered the room known as 'Sasuke's study'. She only entered there once or twice and that was only when he was present. Without him there, the room felt even lonelier than before.

Sakura closed the door behind her before turning on the lights. She blinked at the sudden light as her eyes adjusted to the brightness.

She didn't know what she was doing there, but somehow being in this room made her feel closer to him. She seated herself in his chair and leaned back. It was pretty comfortable; she could see why he sat in it so often.

She propped her elbows up on the well furnished desk and closed her eyes. After a few moments of meditating she slowly opened her emerald orbs. That was when she caught sight of a worn out looking box on the top shelf of his open closet.

Curiosity overcame her as she got out of the chair and approached the closet. Sakura bit her lip as she frowned up at the shelf. It was just a little out of her reach. She though of jumping, but the box was under several objects and she didn't know what it contained. She certainly didn't want to break any of Sasuke's stuff.

She considered calling Naruto, but somehow she had a feeling that this was something that was not any of the blonde's business.

Folding her arms she glared down at the floor. Then it struck her. The chair! Drunken with glee she raced over to the chair, lifted it up, and carried it towards the closet.

She scooted it closer before clambering on. _'Success!'_

Sakura plopped down on the ground with the large cardboard box in her arms. She looked down at it with a contented smile on her face. The edges were slightly frayed and the sides weakened with age. He must have stored it up several years ago.

Not taking anymore time to ponder it, she opened the top flaps and looked down. It was…

-

-

Nighttime came quickly but sleep did not. Sasuke's sore muscles screamed with pain. He longed to stretch, to move around, anything! Before, Orochimaru had granted him his own room. Now that he had a reason to go back home, he was just a common prisoner. He was not even granted the privilege of using his arms. Sasuke smirked; he had become too powerful for Orochimaru to handle.

He raised an eyebrow at the sound of his cell door being open. Well, technically it wasn't a cell. His room resembled more of a laboratory. Across from him were a large monitor and computer. Every day Orochimaru would write up on him and then at night he would enter that information on the computer.

The door slid open to reveal a grinning Keiko. Sasuke almost grinned back in relief. He wasn't sure if he could bear seeing Orochimaru again that day.

"Hey!" Keiko said softly before running up to him. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I got dessert!" she grinned even harder as she held up a small plate of tomatoes. Sasuke was glad that he told her that he hated sweets.

"Open up!" she giggled, her gray eyes twinkling merrily.

Sasuke smirked before accepting the treat. "So what did I do to deserve this?"

Keiko's grin softened into a gentle smile. "Your just nice. That's all. Also you're the only one who really understands what I'm going through."

"Hn."

She stuck her tongue out at him. The gesture reminded him of Sakura, making his smirk falter as he felt a familiar pang in his chest.

"Is something wrong?"

He shook his head "I was just thinking about something."

"Your wife?" he jerked his head up at that.

"How'd you know?"

Keiko rolled her eyes as she sighed dramatically. "Orochimaru-sama has to be pretty blind if he didn't notice the ring." She pointed to the said object. "Besides, no guy wears a ring on his wedding finger for fun."

Sasuke's lips curved upwards into something that could almost be recognized as a smile. As much as he hated to admit it, he was beginning to grow fond of the little sound ninja. Boredom really did do a lot to a man.

-

-

Sakura gasped as she lifted up the first object. It was a framed picture of several people. She squinted at the people until her eyes ran across a familiar figure. It was a young Sasuke? She covered her open mouth with her free hand. If that was Sasuke then the taller figure had to be Itachi. She quickly recognized the other two figures as their parents.

"Sasuke…" she whispered as she gazed at the smiling figure. His black eyes were wide an innocent, his smile carefree. This was a Sasuke that she had never known. Her eyes softened as she stared at it a little while longer before carefully placing it down.

She slowly looked through the rest of the box. Inside were a few more pictures of people she didn't recognize. A few pictures were of little Sasuke and his family, in each picture he was smiling brightly.

Aside from pictures she found a few small trinkets. One of them being a black necklace with two silver beads and an Uchiha symbol in between the two beads. Not knowing why, she latched the necklace around her neck.

Sakura fingered the small symbol for a while before carefully placing the pictures and trinkets back inside of the box. She sighed slowly and leaned against the outer frame of the closet. Her eyes slowly shut.

"Sasuke, come home."

She felt tears slowly come to her eyes.

"Sakura-chan?" at the sound of Naruto's panicked voice she quickly blinked the unshed tears away.

"I'm in here!"

The door quickly opened to reveal her three friends. "What are you doing in here?" they all shouted in unison.

Sakura slowly rose to her feet "I didn't feel like sleeping." She yawned "But now I do."

The three worried shinobi shared a brief glance before turning back to her. "Just tell us next time, okay?" Kiba asked while rubbing his temples. Sakura nodded.

She pushed past her friends and slowly climbed the stairs toward her bedroom. Once she reached her destination, she sat down on her bed and stared at the wall as she did every night. Hinata entered the room quietly.

Sakura patted the bed beside her in a welcoming motion. Nodding her head, Hinata seated herself beside her friend. She watched the pink-haired woman with a worried expression on her face. Sakura was being unnaturally quiet lately. At first Hinata had blamed it on stress, but then Sakura continued to deny that Sasuke was dead. It couldn't have been stress… so what was bothering her?

Hoping to break the silence, the shy Hyuga spoke. "That's a nice necklace."

Sakura blinked as if broken out of a trance. "Yes it is, thank you."

"I-Ino, T-Tenten, and I are planning on buying some f-flowers and visiting Sasuke's grave tomorrow. D-do you wish to join us?" she prayed that Sakura would not lash out at her.

To her surprise her friend only gave her a doubtful stare. "Hinata, I keep on telling you guys; he's not dead. Don't waste your money on flowers. He's alive and he's out there."

She flopped down on the bed, ending the conversation. Sasuke was not dead and she was going to prove it to them. Somehow. Holding the Uchiha charm to her lips she slowly drifted off to sleep.

-

-

**End Chapter**

Strange chapter eh? The story was supposed to have ended by now but I wanted to extend this. I want the 'separation' period to be more than a tiny plot twist. Also I hoped to have a parallel thing going on here.

**I already started my other story called 'cliché' It's an AU story and Tenten centric. –sobs- I can't believe I left Sakura! It's going to be a sillier story, not too deep of a plot. This time I'm writing for ME! But as soon as 'Wait! I'm marrying who?!?' is ended I will be starting another SasuSaku. It's gonna be really good, I've been planning it for months.**

**Batman won by a landslide –woot woot!- Superman has great powers, but Batman has guts, a cooler costume, a cool car, and if I were a guy I'd take Cat woman over Lois Lane any day.**

**This chapter's question is really tough. I want you to think your answer over. The question is: Sasuke or Naruto? I know I suck!**

**The goal for this chapter is… 590+ (break 600 and I'll dance for joy) Please and Thank you!**


	20. Chapter 20

Hi thanx for the reviews! I think I got 590 but I don't feel like checking and I really wanna get this story over with. The only thing is I'm not too sure how to end it. It's really got me confused.

**Oh yes, and to Mari Santoro I offer you my most sincere of apologies. You had sent me an idea and I had all dreams of using it when my Dad went on call, so he had to work from home. I didn't get on the computer until a while afterwards and by then I forgot what the idea was. Actually I should just search my reviews for it but I have dial up so I'm gonna do the chapter now before my computer freezes. I apologize and expect a PM from me. SHHHH! It's a SECRET! **

**Oh yeah, Keiko is like 13. There is no 'thing' between her and Sasuke. When I read that a few of you suggested it I fell out of my chair. –rubs head-**

**Disclaimer: Naruto ate all my ramen so I traded him for… Sasuke-kun! YAY! I got him back! –glomps Sasuke-**

**WARNING! LOOOOOONNNNGGGG CHAPTER!**

**-**

**-**

A cold breeze blew through Konoha, and then almost as suddenly as it came it changed directions and blew in the opposite direction. Shinji stood at the top of a building, his silver hair blowing in the breeze. He raised an eyebrow as leaves tumbled in a completely opposite direction.

"Hmmm… something's up." He fixed his anbu mask before disappearing.

-

-

Sasuke woke that morning to a strange chilling feeling. Today was going to be different… he could just tell. The door to his cell opened revealing Keiko. He almost sighed in relief, thank Kami it wasn't Orochimaru. If he saw that snake man/monster one more time he would scream.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun!" she gave a broad grin before holding up his breakfast which consisted of petrified goop, I mean rice balls.

She fed him in silence, her grin forsaken and now replaced with a worried expression. Sasuke noticed her expression but chose to speak later. His mouth was full after all.

"Keiko?" he said slowly while watching the girl.

"Hm?"

He gave her a hard stare. Sighing she placed the plate down.

"Something's up."

Those words caused Sasuke to freeze. He slowly turned back to the thoughtful looking girl. Her words confirmed what he had been thinking all morning. Most of the time his gut instincts were right.

"How?"

Sighing she pulled up a computer chair and seated herself in front of the raven haired man. She stared up at him for a while before answering. "Orochimaru-sama's acting differently. He seems almost excited about something. He also hasn't shown up all morning. Usually you can find him all over the base but he spent the whole night in his lab. I think whatever he's been planning, he's going to put it to use."

Sasuke fought off the chilling feeling and stared down at his feet as Keiko twitched nervously in front of him. She bit her lip before averting her gaze downwards. Her dark gray eyes narrowed.

The Uchiha watched the girl for a while before closing his eyes.

-

-

It was mid afternoon when it happened. Keiko was finishing feeding Sasuke when the door opened to reveal Orochimaru wearing a sick grin on his face.

Keiko's eyes widened as she quickly turned back to the Uchiha. "Listen whatever happens, I'm going to help okay?" she hissed while pretending to finish feeding him.

Sasuke stared at her in amazement before giving a slight inclination of the head, his version of a nod. He watched as the girl moved the plate and stepped back, bowing respectfully to the snake man.

"Good afternoon Sasuke." Orochimaru said slowly, letting the words roll off his tongue. He had been waiting for this moment all his life, and nothing could change that.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the man but gave no more signs of acknowledgement.

Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head. His long black hair still remained a predominate feature although Sasuke could see silver. "Still staying silent eh?"

Keiko looked between both males nervously before clearing her throat. "Orochimaru-sama." She bowed respectfully. Her master didn't give her a second look as he kept his golden eyes on Sasuke's figure.

"It's too bad that you'll have to die in order for me to complete this. Won't your little pink-haired kunoichi be sad?" Orochimaru said teasingly, enjoying the flash of anger in Sasuke's dark eyes.

"Pink-haired kunoichi?" Keiko raised her head as she spoke questioningly. She saw the look of annoyance in Orochimaru's face and anticipated a blow.

He didn't strike her. Instead he gave another grin directed at Sasuke. "Yes… she's his precious Sakura-chan, isn't that right Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke kept his eyes fixated on the ground. He couldn't control the tremble of anger that reached his clenched fist. He wished that he that he could punch the grin off the disgusting man's face.

"Sakura?"

Orochimaru turned to the confused girl. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a stack of cards. Sasuke recognized them as the same type of cards that Kabuto pulled out in his first chuunin exams. He raised an eyebrow; he was surprised that the snake-man still used them.

The creature seemed to take a sick pleasure in slowly pulling out a card. He held it in front of Keiko's face, her eyebrows rose. On the card was information on a female by the name of Haruno Sakura. Her eyes widened slowly. "She's… she's beautiful." She stammered.

"Yes she is, isn't she?" Orochimaru smirked. "Would you like to see, Sasuke-kun? One last look before you die?"

The Uchiha's fists clenched harder but he said nothing as Orochimaru teasingly held the card in front of his face. His eyes softened. It was a picture of a smiling Sakura; her hair was short in the picture. Her green eyes were filled with a girlish mischief as she stuck her tongue out playfully. Keiko was right; she was beautiful in that picture.

He didn't realize that he had been staring that long until Orochimaru broke his thoughts by laughing. "It seems that our Sasuke-kun is rather fond of this kunoichi, eh Keiko?"

Keiko nodded obediently, her eyes never leaving Sasuke's face. "Sakura… that's a pretty name."

Orochimaru didn't seem to hear that as he quickly placed the picture back with his other cards. He turned irately towards Keiko who still stared at the Uchiha. "You're dismissed." He said quickly. She bowed to him and gave one last look at Sasuke before exiting the room.

"Now… it's time to begin."

-

-

Sakura's eyes snapped open. She jolted upwards in panic.

"Sakura-chan?"

She turned to see a concerned Naruto sitting on the couch across from her. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why wasn't she on her bed?

Naruto seemed to notice that. "You ate lunch and then said you wanted a nap so you plopped down on the couch. Remember?"

"Yes." Actually she didn't. She absentmindedly listened as her friend began talking about dinner plans with Hinata. Her mind was still on what just occurred a few moments ago.

She was sleeping dreamlessly when the image of a laughing Orochimaru appeared in her mind followed by Sasuke screaming in pain. What could this mean? Sakura ran a hand through her messy pink locks. Was Sasuke in pain? She hoped not.

Naruto sensed her absentmindedness and stopped talking. He watched as his friend stared at the Uchiha charm that she hung around her neck.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Yes?"

He frowned a little at her blank expression. "Is everything alright?" he asked slowly.

Sakura sighed softly and leaned back into the couch cushions. "I don't know. I really don't know."

-

-

The pain was unbearable. It came in endless flashes and waves. He writhed in agony as his body attempted to escape the never-ending pain. His vision blurred from various colors and eventually to black. As he allowed himself to slip into the sea of black he could hear Orochimaru's voice "Almost done… soon your power will be mine… forever."

Sasuke gritted his teeth to prevent crying out anymore. He had already screamed himself hoarse. The pain was everywhere; there was no escaping it.

As soon as Orochimaru had said those words earlier all he knew was pain. He kept his eyes closed as he slowly welcomed the eternal blackness. Before he could fully slip in he saw a brief flash of pink in the back of his mind. It was very brief but was enough to sustain him. Gritting his teeth even harder he concentrated on that color.

Where had he seen it before? _'Sakura'_

What significance did it hold to him? '_It means…'_

What did it mean?

Everything.

-

-

Orochimaru's golden eyes opened in shock. "What's this?" he demanded before performing another row of hand seals. "He's fighting back… but how? This jutsu is supposed to be flawless!" he hissed angrily before pouring more chakra into the Uchiha's body.

This jutsu that he had read of in Kabuto's scroll was supposed to be the most flawless form of body switch. Its power was to surpass that of his previous jutsu's. In his last attempt Orochimaru's goal was to take over Sasuke's mind. This time the jutsu was focused slowly on his body.

In addition, during the time that Sasuke was imprisoned he had slipped his own 'special ingredient' into the food that was served. This ingredient proved to break down some of the body's chakra defenses. His plan was flawless, so how come Sasuke was still able to fight?

"This isn't supposed to happen!" the snake man cried in fury as he found himself fighting the Uchiha was chakra. Sasuke's eyes were still shut, his face an ashen pale but his mind and body fighting better than he could.

Orochimaru suddenly broke off. Angry, he hurried over towards the computer and typed in a few key combinations; unlocking a special experiment. It was still in testing phase but it was now or never. He grabbed an injection needle and sucked up the fluid. He would inject the fluid into the Uchiha's body, breaking down his chakra defenses once and for all. The pain had taken care of his mind, now all he had to do was take care of the body and finish the jutsu and the Uchiha would be his. It was as simple as reciting the alphabet.

The snake man reached out and grabbed a hold of one of Sasuke's suspended arms. Before he could inject the fluid into his body he ran his thumb over Sasuke's muscle. "Mine." He hissed disturbingly.

Soon this would all be his. With Sasuke's power, Orochimaru's vast knowledge of jutsu, and Uchiha Itachi being out of the way: he would be the most powerful shinobi on earth. Destroying the Leaf Village would be mere child's play to the reborn Orochimaru. He shuddered in delight at the thought.

Stabbing viciously, he pushed all of the blue fluid into the Uchiha's veins. He smiled to himself as he could feel the solution do its work. "Finally."

-

-

Sakura shut her eyes tight; no matter how hard she tried she couldn't sleep. Visions of Sasuke kept flashing through her mind at an incredible rate. In each of these Sasuke was in evident pain and seemed to be lost in his agony.

"Sasuke I'm right here!" she screamed.

Naruto woke from his nap to look at his friend. Was she having another nightmare? Every time he tried to comfort her she would push him away. He stared at her in confusion silently wishing that he could help.

Sakura's eyes were shut even harder as she tried reaching out to him. "Sasuke… please…" her voice was lower than a whisper before she fell unconscious.

"Sakura-chan? SAKURA-CHAN!"

-

-

Pain… more pain than he could ever imagine. Orochimaru's taunting voice "Try to fight it this time Sasuke-kun! Kukukuku!"

He bit his lip until he drew blood; the salty iron taste of the red liquid gave his mind something to concentrate on. Blood. He tentatively reached out his tongue and devoured every drop of it. He focused his mind on the taste. Like cold metal.

"Nothing will work, you're mine now!"

'_Shut… up. Just shut up!'_

The blood wasn't enough. His mind slowly began fading into the darkness that he was fighting. He couldn't give in… not yet.

Pink.

His body stiffened. Pink.

His mind showed an image of long pink locks and sparkling emerald eyes. Pink. Green.

Sakura.

-

-

Orochimaru's eyes widened, the experiment was supposed to nullify his body! For a while it was working perfectly. So why was his body fighting harder than ever? He had to stop this before Sasuke could break the jutsu.

"Sasuke, if you give in I will allow no harm to befall Sakura." He spoke almost pleadingly. This was his last chance for power and he'd be damned if he lost it now.

His golden eyes grew wide in delight as Sasuke's body slowed its defense. The snake man felt a slow grin rise.

"She will be safe."

Sasuke's body slowed even more. Was this it? Orochimaru laughed aloud. Nothing could get in his way!

-

-

"Sasuke, if you give in I will allow no harm to befall Sakura."

She would be safe. That was all that really mattered, right? The child would live and eventually destroy Orochimaru. Unless Orochimaru killed him/her and took it under his wing.

No, he would not have his child. Not after all he'd gone through. This was his child not Orochimaru's. Who was this monster to wheel and deal with him?

Anger. Passionate fury. The child was his and Sakura's; Orochimaru would not have anything to do with it. This child would live in a world where there was no Orochimaru.

-

-

"Sasuke! Please, let me help you!" Sakura screamed in her sleep, her body turned from side to side. A remorseful looking Naruto and a concerned Hinata stood beside the bed.

The Hyuga turned to her boyfriend "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I-I can't do anything for her. Sh-she has to wake herself up."

Naruto held down a curse as he slammed his fist into the wall. "Dammit Sakura, you'd better wake up." He leaned his forehead against his arm. Hinata watched him with sorrowful eyes before slowly wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Naruto-kun…" she whispered softly as she fixated her eyes to Sakura's contorted face.

-

-

"Not again!" Orochimaru cursed under his breath as Sasuke's body was fighting back stronger than ever. It took almost all of the snake-man's chakra to hold him under his control.

It was while he applied extra chakra that he looked up and was met with vengeful black eyes. He nearly broke the jutsu in shock.

"Why won't you just die?" he screamed into the face of Uchiha Sasuke. The raven haired man stared at him coldly, his facial expression never changing.

"Because… unlike you… I have a reason to live." The words caught Orochimaru by surprise. He quickly regained his composure and applied even more chakra. He enjoyed the pained expression on the Uchiha's face.

Sasuke grunted in pain as he closed his eyes, his chakra fighting against Orochimaru's. The sudden burst of power nearly sent the snake man flying.

"I have a wife…" the words caused Orochimaru's golden eyes to widen. He married the pink-haired woman? That would explain the ring on his finger…

"She's going to give birth to my child." A sudden burst of chakra sent Orochimaru flying against the wall. Dark chakra surrounded the Uchiha's body. The snake man stared up in shock as Sasuke's eyes focused on him and his chakra grew even more powerful.

"That child… is going to be a real Uchiha…." His hands broke through the bindings that held him to the wall, followed by his feet. He took slow steady steps towards his captor.

"That child…" he stopped right in front of Orochimaru's crouched figure "IS GOING TO CALL ME OTOUSAN!" He did something that shocked the snake man. He kicked him right in his face, sending him flying through two walls.

-

-

Keiko ran towards the direction which the crashing noise came from. What she saw caused her jaw to drop. There was a large hole in both walls and Orochimaru was lying against one of his crushed computers.

Splattered blood and broken machinery gave evidence to the fight that had just occurred. She nearly fainted from shock. She turned to Orchimaru's bleeding and limp figure.

"Orochi-!" she turned and caught sight of a furious looking Sasuke with dark chakra emitted from his body. His unfocused eyes were in Orochimaru's direction; he barely paid the shocked girl any heed.

"Sasuke!" her eyes traveled down to his wounds. They weren't as bad as Orochimaru's but still bad enough.

He didn't seem to hear her as he stumbled towards the snake man. She gasped; he barely had the power to stand yet somehow he managed to walk steadily towards Orochimaru.

"Sasuke, no!" she lunged towards the Uchiha and grabbed hold of his arm in an attempt to hold him back. "If you try anything else, you'll die!" It was true, his chakra was nearly depleted and his body was already past its limits.

He blinked twice as he broke out of his wrathful daze. "Sakura?"

She shook her head "No, it's Keiko. I'm going to help you get back to Sakura."

Orochimaru stirred. Both turned to watch the snake man stand up with a wrathful expression. He was awful to behold. His half Kabuto, half Orochimaru face was contorted into a hideous expression of rage. His golden eyes were practically glowing.

"You! I WILL HAVE YOUR BODY!" he shrieked as he flew towards the Uchiha.

Keiko squeaked in fear as Sasuke wearily drew a kunai to defend himself. She knew that he couldn't protect them in his tired state. In sudden determination, she snatched the kunai out of his hand and blindly lashed out at the snake man.

The kunai only clipped off an inch of his long black hair. The snake man hit his mark sending Sasuke stumbling back a few feet.

"Sasuke!" Keiko screamed as the Uchiha coughed up blood. Orochimaru's long tongue wrapped itself around Sasuke and began squeezing.

"Sasuke do something!" Keiko felt tears stream down her face as the tired Uchiha struggled weakly. She watched in horror as the grip on his body tightened, making breathing impossible for him.

She looked down at the kunai in her hand. Could she do it? Sasuke cried out in pain as one of his ribs cracked. Keiko shut her eyes as she tried to will herself not to tremble. Suddenly a picture came to mind. It was the picture of the beautiful woman with pink hair. Sakura. Sasuke's wife. She looked up at Sasuke. No matter what, he would be reunited with his wife.

Determined, she lashed out once more. Orochimaru screamed in pain. Sasuke took a gasping breath as he collapsed to one side

She looked down, her body trembling violently. She had just cut Orochimaru's tongue in half. Blood poured from the dismembered muscle.

The snake man turned to her, vengeance in his eyes. No words could describe the look of hate that she saw. She knew then at that instant that her fate had been decided.

"NO!"

-

-

Naruto clenched his fist as he watched his friend's body. His eyes widened as her body limp. Sakura rolled over in her sleep and let out a small groan. She was finally resting peacefully.

A small smile found it's way to his face. "She's sleeping." He said softly more to himself than anyone else.

Hinata smiled at him "It must be over now."

-

-

When Keiko finally opened her eyes she was met with a strange sight. The tip of Orochimaru's blade was an inch away from her heart. Her eyes traveled further to see an agonized looking Orochimaru being pinned down through the stomach by a katana.

"Sasuke?" she asked softly as she looked up into the eyes of the raven haired avenger. "What?"

He gave another grunt of pain before propping himself up against a piece of equipment. Her eyes widened. "Let me look at that!"

She scrambled over towards him and inspected his wounds. He was bleeding from various flesh wounds, two ribs were broken, a few more were cracked and then there was internal damage done by the experiment along with a loss of chakra.

Her dark gray eyes were wide in amazement. "What happened?" she whispered as she activated a healing jutsu.

Sasuke gave a small groan as the healing chakra began fixing his ribs. She then moved to the internals.

"It's not as bad as it could have been. Whatever got inside your body could've wreaked absolute havoc on your system. Thank Kami that I was here. If this stuff stayed any longer without something to remove it, you would've been in serious pain." She rattled on as she continued to heal him. She spoke mainly to keep herself awake.

Sasuke looked up sharply as he sensed her chakra depleting. "Stop." He grabbed her wrist.

"What?"

"That's enough. You're almost out of chakra. Save some for yourself." He said sternly.

Keiko smiled as she shook her head "No. I want to do this. Let me help you." She reactivated her healing jutsu. He attempted to stop her but she merely swatted his hand away. "Let. Me. Help. You." She yawned as she applied more chakra.

He stared up at the young female as her chakra level grew lower and lower. It was growing dangerously low. He growled at her in anger but she just smiled and continued. "Listen, there's a fast way out of her. See that corridor? Go down to the end. Then turn left. You should see a bronze colored door. Go through there and you're outside. The rest is up to you. Right now we're near the core."

"Core?"

"Of Orochimaru's 'base'." She explained patiently "Orochimaru won't stay down for long. As soon as I'm done I want you to get out of here. I'll take care of this place."

Sasuke stared at her or a few moments. "What about you?"

She smiled weakly, her strength diminishing with every passing second. "Tell your wife… that she's beautiful and that she'd better treat you right. You hear me?"

"Keiko!" Sasuke cried as her chakra was nearly gone. "Stop!"

"There." She said through a tired voice, her eyelids drooping, her whole body was nearly useless. "Now get out of here. Go."

He stood up slowly and looked down at the weakened girl. "I'm taking you with me."

The girl surprised him by wrapping her arms around his legs in a weak embrace. Tears slowly made their way down her cheeks. 'I'd like nothing more…" she sniffled, "I want to go home with you and meet your wife… be part of the family… but I can't. Unlike you, I don't have anywhere that I belong. Just go. I'll make sure this creature never rises again."

She drew a piece of paper out of her back pocket and laid it on the ground. Pulling out a pencil, she began drawing a circular design on it.

"Keiko?"

Keiko glanced up at Sasuke with a sheepish smile. "You'd best hurry out of here."

He nodded "What are you doing?" he asked as he made his way toward the door.

She licked the edge of the paper before performing an unfamiliar hand seal and touching the paper to the ground. "This..." she grinned up at the Uchiha "is MY kekkei genkai."

-

-

**End Chapter**

This WAS supposed to be the last chapter… but then I just couldn't fit everything in one chapter. It'd be criminal. Ok, this will be the second to last chapter, k? Hopefully the next chapter will be up tomorrow.

Sasuke won by 3 votes! Woot! Power to the sexy Uchiha! Personally my vote was with Naruto. Oh and for those who didn't get it, the question was which do you prefer. That's pretty much what all my questions are.

By the next chapter I should have the summary of my upcoming stories posted on my account. I'm planning on updating on Monday just so I can finish this story. So let's hear those reviews!

Thanks for all the previous reviews! You guys really make me wanna write more. Okay the question is: Which is better? Naruto or Naruto Shipuuden? My votes with the original Naruto! Sasuke was just sooo hot… -squeals like fan girl and faints-

I don't really have a goal. But if you break 630 I'll do a jig!


	21. Chapter 21

This is it… the final chapter … O.o I just spent the last hour staring the computer screen and trying to figure this out. It's kinda scary. I just hope it ends out well. Oh yeah, and for those who don't want Keiko to die… too bad suckers! HA HA HA!!! Um… that didn't come out right.

To all my reviewers… thank you. I wish I could list you guys but I'm just too lazy, and if I list only the ones I remember… well. But a super special thanks to my lifelong reviewers Kaoru, Anbu Inu, TsunadeHokage, waveblader213, and ummm I forget how to write your sn but it's Nejiluver (just with some X's on the side) and a couple others. I forget.

Disclaimer: I only own Keiko and my one true love Kiba. I just decided that I'm in love with him. Along with the rest of the male cast of Naruto excluding Orochimaru, Konohamaru, Choji, Gai, Lee, Kisame, Zetsu, and Gamabunta.

-

-

Uzumaki Naruto watched as his friend Sakura wearily walked out the door of her house. He sighed heavily before following her with dragging feet. For some strange reason she insisted on going out.

He jogged to catch up with his friend who was marching at a brisk pace through Konoha. She pushed her way through crowds of people much to Naruto's surprise. She would ordinarily apologize and slide through carefully, making sure not to harm anyone. This time her strides were determined as she made a path through the throngs.

"Sakura-chan? SAKURA-CHAN! Hey!" Naruto slid his way through until he caught up with his pink-haired friend. He found himself jogging in order to keep the pace. "Can't we slow down? Just a little?"

"No."

"Please?"

She turned to the blonde angrily "I said NO!"

He stopped to stare at her in surprise but she kept on marching. "I wonder what's with her?" he mumbled to himself before picking up the pace again.

-

-

As dust settled, Uchiha Sasuke stopped mid-run to turn around and stare in surprise. Just a few moments ago he was running top-speed out of Orochimaru's base. There was a strange sound, almost like a loud hum followed by the sound of the entire base collapsing on itself.

The dust finally settled leaving a clear view of the remains of Orochimaru's hidden fortress. Sasuke clutched his sore ribcage as he stumbled towards the crumbled remains. His trained eyes scanned the wreckage as he got closer.

"Keiko?"

He jumped and landed gracefully on a large chunk of wall. Catching his breath he activated his sharingan. Almost instantly he felt pain in his eyes. _'I can't use it that long.'_

He scanned for any signs of chakra and found none. "KEIKO!"

Sasuke began digging through the dirt and chunks of building. His eyes caught sight of a crushed leg sticking out from under the rubble. He removed the rubble only to see a dead sound ninja. Relieved and frustrated he began digging some more.

It was twenty minutes later that he found her. His eyes widened.

She lay with the paper clutched to her chest and a smirk on her lips. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Sa…suke."

She grinned slowly "So… what did you think of my… Kekkei Genkai?"

He stared down at the girl in amazement. After all that she was still able to talk? He was surprised that she was alive. He nodded mutely.

"It was… good." He mumbled begrudgingly.

Keiko mustered up a laugh. "Good. Now get going."

"What about you?"

She smiled up at him and turned her head to the side so that she was looking past the Uchiha. "I'm staying."

"You'll die."

She rolled her eyes "Thank you Captain Obvious, but I think I can handle myself. If I die, I die. It won't matter anyway. But you… you have something in Konoha. Go back, I'll be… well I don't know how I'll be." She admitted "but you have to take care of yourself."

Standing up slowly he nodded. Keiko smiled again as he straightened himself out "Goodbye Uchiha."

He turned his back to her and faced in the direction where Konoha was. His life, his dreams, his friends were all there. "Thank you."

Keiko smirked as he disappeared. She looked down at her legs which were still trapped under rubble. "Moron, the least he could've done was free my legs. Oh well…" she pulled out a smaller piece of paper before activating her jutsu. The chunk of rubble crumbled from the inside out. "I guess I can handle this one."

-

-

Tsunade stared down at her pile of paperwork; it was the third pile she received that day. This one was addressed from Suna with information on a few shinobi who wished to transfer to the ninja academy and news on Orochimaru's base which disappeared from an inner explosion comprised of sound waves. She rubbed her temples. She swore she deserved a break.

She heard the sound of someone knocking and quickly shoved the paperwork aside. "Come in!"

In stepped a timid looking Hyuga Hinata. The Hokage sighed in relief. She thought it would be Shizune whining about the deadlines for the papers. She'd get them done, okay?

"Can I help you?"

Hinata tentatively stepped forward. After all these years she still found herself intimidated by the moody Hokage. "Um… I was wo-wondering about s-something… and I.. I" she poked her fingers together desperately "I wanted t-to kno-know if you c-could he-help me maybe?"

Tsunade smiled in spite of herself. "Sure, what is it?"

"It… it's about t-the m-marriage be-between S-sasuke-san and Sakura-chan." She said softly.

Amber eyes widened in surprise "Why?"

"I'll t-tell you o-once I c-confirm it… please?"

The Hokage fidgeted a little. "I'm sorry but the scroll isn't really out for the viewing public. I'm afraid that I can't lend these to yo-"

"I-I have p-permission from my otousan and a few other a-authorizing my v-viewing of 'clan only' p-property. A-after all, the Hokage isn't to mess with clan business anyway. Isn't that r-right?"

Tsunade bit her lip "You hide a sneaky soul behind those beautiful gray eyes of yours."

Smiling brightly the Hyuga waited patiently as the Hokage dug through her pile of scrolls. She grudgingly handed the scroll to Hinata. "A-arigato Tsunade-sama. I apologize if I w-were a bother in any way."

"No not at all." Tsunade smiled and waved until the young Hyuga exited the room. Then she slammed her forehead on the desk. "Not good. This is not good at all."

-

-

The wind blew softly unsettling Sakura's long pink hair as she stood at the bridge. Her friend Naruto stood beside her with an indifferent look on his normally cheerful face. He watched as the pink-haired woman reached out and caught a leaf that floated gently on the breeze. She held it in her hand for a few moments before letting go.

He turned to look out at the water which trickled slowly underneath them. His blue eyes were serious as he looked out.

Tomorrow… he would begin his training with Tsunade. The training to become… Hokage. He could barely believe his ears when the woman told him that yesterday. Naruto could barely contain his excitement. Therefore, he let it all out by creating over a thousand shadow clones which shouted and danced around Konoha joyfully causing a riot.

Sakura turned to look at the young future Hokage his face was grim. "Naruto-kun… can you leave?"

He turned to his friend in surprise "What?"

"I need you to leave… I have to go somewhere…alone."

"But that old hag Tsunade said that you can't be left alo-" he protested.

Sakura cut her close friend off "Please, this is something I have to do by myself." Her tearful expression caused him to let out a slow breath and shake his head in submission.

"Alright…" he said finally "Just… take care of yourself. If anything happens you'd better send for me. Got it?"

Her smile caused his doubt to slowly fade away. "I got it!"

-

-

Onyx eyes bled crimson as he sensed a nearby chakra presence. Hiding behind a bush Sasuke dared to peek out at the passing figure.

The person, whoever they were stopped and made their way slowly towards where the Uchiha hid. His eyes widened, who was this person? How did they sense his chakra? He slowly reached down to his pouch and drew a hand combat kunai.

Sasuke thought he recognized the chakra, although he didn't know from where. He bit his lip, a habit he picked up recently, as the person came closer. His eyes suddenly returned to its original color as his chakra level reached minimum. He swore under his breath. Of all times to run out of chakra! He could only hang onto the kunai and hope for the best.

Hope. Something he hadn't learned to do until he met a certain pink haired kunoichi and a blonde dobe. Sasuke wondered if they would miss him if he died right there. It wouldn't matter too much. He already finished his goals. He killed Itachi, and resurrected the clan to some extent… it was too bad that he never completed his final goal.

He smirked at the thought. The final goal was definitely very un-Sasuke-ish of him. It was so sappy. It sounded like one of those cheesy lines that Naruto would use during a near-death experience to inspire the people around him. Whether it was cheesy or not it always worked, he thought grimly.

The figure reached into the bush to push away a few stray branches. Acting on instinct, Sasuke lunged forward with all intent of impaling his foe on the kunai.

The person grabbed his arm with a strong grip. Looking upward Sasuke decided to at least behold the face of his attacker before dying.

His eyes widened as he gazed into emerald eyes. "W-what?"

-

-

Hyuga Hinata stared at the scroll in shock. She dropped it on the floor alongside with everything else on her bedroom floor. Her moon-gray eyes were filled with amazement.

"I-I…"

She heard a knock on her door but chose to ignore it. The knocking persisted until the door swung open to reveal her cousin Neji. "Hinata-sama, what is the matter?" he asked as he instantly rushed to her side.

"It's… it's…" she pointed to the scroll lying on the floor.

Neji bent down to retrieve it. He stared at it blatantly "So?"

"Activate your byakugan."

He did so, once he did his jaw dropped. "Oh no she didn't!" he yelled, which sounded very uncharacteristic of him.

"Oh yes she did!"

-

-

"G-Gaara!" Sasuke gasped in surprise. He didn't feel great about looking like a moron in front of his ex-rival but times change people.

"Uchiha." The Kazekage said behind a cold smirk. His green eyes analyzing the Uchiha critically.

Sasuke glared up at the red-haired man who returned the glare full force. He sighed, "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.

"I could ask you the same thing." The red head returned with equal coldness.

The Uchiha almost slapped himself in the forehead. This coldness was getting them nowhere fast. He hated to stoop down to the Kazekage but desperate times called for desperate measures, and this counted as a desperate measure.

"Could you take me to the Leaf Village?" he grumbled through clenched teeth.

Gaara stared down at him blankly before slowly shrugging. "I was heading there."

Most people would ask for a direct answer, but after talking like that for years Sasuke was able to interpret it as a 'whatever'. Nodding the Uchiha took a step forward and stumbled. The Kazekage surprised him by catching his arm and helping him steady himself.

"You're out of chakra."

Sasuke would've rolled his eyes if he were someone else. Instead he nodded.

"I'll lend you some of mine. There's no way that I would carry you." Those were the most words that Gaara ever spoke without threatening his life. Sasuke was genuinely surprised but chose to mask his surprise with an 'hn.'

The feeling of fresh chakra pouring through him was a relief to the Uchiha. He gave a nod "Hn."

The Kazekage and Uchiha both leapt off through the trees towards Konoha.

-

-

Standing in the outskirts of Konoha, Sakura wondered what unknown force brought her there. Once she sent her friend off she had run as fast as her legs could carry her. Time and direction meant nothing to her as she ran. After several minutes here she stood in a small forest in the outskirts of Konoha.

It was early evening now as the sun set, causing the Hokage monument to glow soft red. Her emerald eyes were fixated on the likeness of the fourth Hokage. He and Naruto looked so much alike it was almost unnatural.

Sighing to herself, Sakura found herself on another bridge similar to the one where her team met up. This bridge was larger and overlooked a far wider river. The view was lovely, surrounded by several Sakura blossom trees and water lilies. The setting sun added to the natural beauty of the location.

Smiling softly, Sakura plucked a water lily and finger it as she looked out at the river. She missed Sasuke… she missed him so bad… but she would not let this get in the way.

Just the other day she went shopping with her friends, hung out with Naruto, and even had lunch with Lee. She decided that no matter what, life would go on for her. She spent most of her time trying to keep her usually upbeat attitude. Sitting around moping did her no good; she remembered that from the first time that Sasuke was gone.

Sakura made a face. She was such a desperate little twelve year old. Now, whenever she thought of her pathetic confession she would feel woozy or laugh. It was stupid, thinking that Sasuke would take HER to the sound village with him. She really was an idiot back then hoping like that.

Hope. The only thing that sustained her even now. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, her long pink hair blowing softly in the breeze. She would hope even now.

-

-

Sasuke's heart soared as he came within sight of the village's walls. He turned to Gaara who gave him another smirk. "Go."

If he were any other man, he would've hugged Gaara before running off. Instead he returned with a smirk of his own and ran ahead. If he turned back he would've seen Gaara standing there grinning.

He was almost to the gates when he recognized a familiar chakra. Excitement welled in his chest as he ran the guard over and headed towards where the chakra was coming from. Surprisingly it wasn't that far away.

Sasuke sped up as he came close to a small grove surrounded by Cherry blossom trees or whatever they were called. He was beyond caring by then. In the center of the grove was a wooden bridge which overlooked a large stream.

He stopped then and there as he caught sight of pink.

'_Sakura.'_

_-_

_-_

So caught up in her own little world was she, that she didn't even pay any attention to the familiar chakra presence that grew nearer and nearer. Sakura figured that it was Naruto coming to annoy her. A small voice in the corner of her mind said otherwise but she chose to ignore it. She usually did anyway.

Her body stiffened as she felt warm breath on the back of her neck. Her emerald eyes shot open as she gasped softly. She was about to turn around and demand the identity of the person when…

"Sakura."

Sakura's knees nearly gave out at the sound of his voice. She turned around quickly, her eyes filled with joy.

"Sasuke!"

She couldn't believe her eyes, it was him. He was here he was finally here. He looked a little more careworn and his hair had grown an inch longer and a bit shaggier but it was Sasuke, _her _Sasuke.

His lips curved upward… if you kinda squint you'd recognize it as a smile. "Sakura."

He opened his mouth to say something else but she beat him to it. Wrapping her arms tightly around him in an embrace she buried her face in his chest.

Sasuke's eyes softened slightly as he gazed down on the head of the woman he had gone through all that mess to be with. His heart swelled, he had waited too long for this to let his pride get in the way. He slowly returned the embrace.

His eyes widened perceptibly as she began sobbing into his chest. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. Thankfully Sakura pulled away a little to look into his eyes, her emerald eyes filled with tears.

"I knew…" she gasped for breath "I knew that you weren't dead! Everyone told me that you were, they even had a funeral!"

"Funeral?" he smirked, he would have to check out the gravestone later.

Sakura noticed his smirk and couldn't help but return it with a smile of her own. Seeing her smile made Sasuke's stomach do a funny flip, he forgot how much he missed it.

She rested her cheek against his chest this time, inhaling his scent. "Then Tsunade gave me bodyguards because she was worried about the baby. It was so lonely in the house without you… I missed you so bad. For a while there I thought you we-"

Sasuke pressing his lips firmly against hers quickly cut her off. She blinked in surprise before slowly closing her eyes and leaning into the kiss. She gripped the front of his shirt weakly for support as her knees gave out on her.

Sasuke broke the kiss and smirked down at her. He had waited too long for THAT too. She gazed up at him, her eyes still clouded as she tried to break out of her daze.

He slowly leaned down towards her, his lips brushing against her ear. Sakura inadvertently shivered against his touch. Her heart was racing at a million beats per minute as his hand traced a small circle on her stomach.

"You've gotten bigger." He whispered.

She blinked in surprise "Huh?"

He looked down at her as though she were stupid. "I said 'you've gotten bigger'"

She stared up at him in amazement. Just like that he broke the moment. "What is your problem?" she demanded.

"What?"

"You ruined the moment!" she hit his chest with her palm indignantly, her eyes flashing with anger. "You know, no matter how much people say that Uchiha's a great at everything, you sure suck at romance!"

He raised an eyebrow down at the furious woman. He sighed, he didn't travel all the way from the Sound village just for this. "What was I supposed to say?" he challenged.

Sakura glared up at him in answer to his challenge. "You could tell me that you love me madly and passionately for starters!"

Sasuke smirked down at Sakura as she narrowed her stunning green eyes at him. Her lips pressed together in a cute pout as she continued to glare dangerously at him. Still smirking he leaned down and pressed his lips against her cheek before moving to her ear. "I love you madly and passionately." He whispered huskily. Sakura shivered once more before pushing him away from her and into perfect 'glare vision.'

She fought all urges to pounce him by rolling her eyes. "Yeah right… now stop kidding around and let's get you to the hospital." She grabbed his arm and began leading him off.

Following his wife obediently, Sasuke allowed himself to be led off. They walked in silence; Sasuke was deep in thought as Sakura beamed at everyone who looked at them in surprise. Once outside the hospital Sasuke pulled Sakura to him.

"Just so you know…" he whispered "I wasn't kidding."

He pushed past his surprised wife and hurried into the hospital. He did it for looks but mainly to hide the blush that invaded his cheeks.

Mission kill Itachi: Completed

Mission Revive Clan: Hell Yeah

Mission Confess to Sakura: Completed… to some extent.

-

-

"COME ON SAKURA! PUSH! PUSH!"

"I'm trying… aaaahhh!!!"

"HARDER! HARDER!"

"Ah…AAAHHHH!!!!!"

Sasuke entered the room with wide eyes. "What. The. Hell. Are. Doing."

Tsunade looked up from where she stood hovering over Sakura's prone figure. Sakura was currently face first on the floor with a harness keeping her hovering a few inches above keeping her stomach from touching it.

The pink haired girl grinned. "Push ups."

He raised an eyebrow "Push ups." He said skeptically.

"Yeah, Tsunade-shishou said that I should get some exercise done otherwise I'll end up fat. She even set up this great harness so that I won't hit the floor and hurt the baby." She motioned towards her stomach which seemed to be getting bigger everyday.

She no longer wore her normal outfit. Instead she was now wearing casual black pants and a green maternity bell-sleeved blouse. To Sasuke she would always look amazing. He stared at her as her teacher helped her out of the harness. This was definitely different.

"Whatever."

He turned to exit and came face to face with Hyuga Neji. The Hyuga stared at him with the same cynical expression on his face but said nothing. Behind him stood his timid cousin, Hinata. Shrugging the Uchiha turned back to his wife. "I'll be waiting for you outside."

She pushed past her cousin and the exiting Uchiha in order to get to Tsunade. "YOU!" she yelled shaking the scroll in front of his face, surprising everyone in the room.

The fifth Hokage looked nervous "Yes?"

"YOU!" she yelled once more.

"Hinata-chan?" Sakura panted as she stood up straight, rubbing her sore back.

Hinata turned to her friend "She lied!"

Sakura turned back to her friend in surprise. She glanced towards Neji. The older Hyuga merely folded his arms in a 'manly' fashion.

The shy Hyuga stood firmly, her eyes fixated on the older blonde woman who was currently fidgeting like there was no tomorrow.

"Will you look at that!" the Hokage suddenly cried, "I have a meeting with… Ibiki! Sorry kids, I gotta run!"

Neji quickly barred the door.

Hinata headed towards the Hokage's desk where she turned to face her friends dramatically. "This scroll…" she dropped the said object on the ground "is fake!"

"WHAT?!?"

She nodded slowly "Excluding the fact that Sakura's mother had an affair with Sasuke's father, the rest of this is made up. There never was a prearranged marriage. Tsunade made this up."

Sakura, and Sasuke turned their shocked gazes to the nervous Hokage. "You lied?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"Hey! Look, you guys needed a little motivation! Besides, everyone in Konoha could feel it coming! You guys were made for each other and this scroll helped you realize it!" she defended herself quickly.

Sakura's eyes darkened in rage. "You made me marry him?" he drew a kunai. "You made me go through all that just because you FELT LIKE IT!"

"Wait!" Tsunade backed up "Your parents did want you to get married! They were planning to write this scroll anyway!" This caused everyone to stall for a moment. She quickly continued "but before they could get it legalized Itachi… well you know the story. So technically I only lied about it being an official scroll."

Sakura slowly approached her teacher who was now hiding behind her desk. "So you did all this?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips, the kunai now discarded. Tsunade nodded and winced for the blow that never came.

Her hazel eyes were filled with surprise as her young pupil wrapped her arms around her in a warm embrace. "Thank you, Tsunade-shishou… for everything."

Sasuke smirked from behind the door where he was listening in. He would've hugged her too if he weren't so… well you know… He quietly left the hall before becoming too obvious. A few minutes later his smiling wife followed him.

"I can't believe it!" she said aloud in amazement.

"Hn." He said disinterestedly.

She glared up at him as they walked down a staircase and out onto the streets of Konoha. Sasuke continued to stalk forward as his wife dog trotted to keep up with him. She slowed down to keep the pace.

It was funny, she grinned, how only a few months ago she was ardent against the marriage. Sakura tilted her head upward to get a good view of her stoic husband. He glanced down at her and raised an eyebrow. She used to hate him for the same attitude which she had now learned to love.

Everything took time, she thought as Sasuke slowed a little and reached out, entwining her fingers with his. Besides that, no one would guess that they were romantically attached. She beamed up at her husband as they made their way through the streets of Konoha. Sakura put a hand to her stomach as the baby began kicking.

She had a feeling that everything was going to be alright.

-

-

(Bonus segment. Why? Because I felt like it!)

Sakura beamed upward from where she stood surrounded by the rest of Konoha's population outside of the Hokage monument. Her stoic husband folded his arms and glared upward

"Stupid dobe."

She giggled as Tsunade finished her speech. Today was the day that Naruto had been waiting for all of his life. He was being presented as Konoha's Sixth Hokage. His grin was visible from where Sakura stood.

"And now I present to you…" the former Hokage called out to the crowd below them "The sixth Hokage! Uzumaki Naruto!"

The crowd of shinobi and civilians burst out into rapturous applause as the blonde stepped forward. They slowly silenced as they prepared for his speech.

"HELL YEAH!"

Sasuke slapped his forehead as the blonde began dancing like an idiot. "Oh my god." He and Sakura said in unison.

"CHECK IT OUT SASUKE-TEME!" Naruto crowed down to his rival "I'M THE HOKAGE! YEAH! HAHAHAHAHA! I'M THE COOLEST!"

Several of the shinobi began laughing; a few stared up at him as if he were insane. Kiba, Ino, Neji, Tenten, and Shikamaru all hung their heads and sighed. "It had to be Naruto." They mumbled.

Sakura's eyes widened as Naruto began doing a 'booty' dance in front of the population of Konoha. Tsunade tried stopping him but he was unstoppable now.

"CHECK OUT THE COOL OUTFIT!" he whirled around to show his robe which was similar to that of his father's. "Of course…" he spoke pensively "what this hot outfit needs…" he disappeared in a cloud of smoke and appeared beside a blushing Hinata. "… is an equally hot woman with it. Hinata-chan… will you marry me?"

The dancing, speech, and sudden proposal was too much for the young woman. She hit the ground. Sakura groaned before making her way over to her unconscious friend.

-

-

That night as she lay in her bed curled up next to her husband, Sakura couldn't help but smile as she replayed the day's events. Life was definitely strange… but she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Sasuke?"

He turned his head towards her and opened his eyes. Even in the dark she found herself getting lost in his smoldering onyx eyes. "Hm?" he mumbled groggily as he ran a hand through his already messed up hair.

She giggled as she reached over and smoothed some of his hair down. "I'm glad that Tsunade found that scroll."

He looked at her in confusion. "Hm…"

"Aren't you?"

Sasuke sighed heavily. He could make her happy and say yes, which would be the truth. Or he could save his Uchiha pride and tell her to get back to sleep. Decisions, decisions. "Yeah."

She beamed up at him before snuggling even closer and burying her face in the crook of his neck. He smirked… works every time.

-

-

End Story

AAAHHHHH!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S OVER!!!! WAAAHHHH!!!!!! My heart is breaking. But there will be a epilogue followed by a oneshot sequelish thing or an actual sequel. But I think I favor the one shot, its gonna be good. So keep an eye out for those. The epilogue will come out between today and Thursday. Who knows, I'll probably write it tonight so keep an eye out.

I just want to say thanks to all my reviewers who were with me for these months. You guys are really what kept me going. Thank you so very much. Thank you again! I'm so glad I got a story finished. Keep an eye out for my next SasuSaku, and a possible SasuHina followed by a NaruHina or something like that. I love writing Sasuke though. He's so hot.

Naruto Shippuuden won! One person had a point; it's better because they have Deidara. Stay strong all you who voted for the original Naruto –sniffles- I feel your pain… curse you Shippuuden fans! CURSE YOU!

Thank you again! Thank you! YAY! I'm so happy!


	22. Epilogue sniffle

Here's the epilogue as promised! I –heart- you all… except for any potential flamers… you all can- well I'm not gonna say that.

**-**

**-**

"Sir? Will you please sit down?"

"…"

"Sir? If you do not seat yourself I will be forced to call security…" the nurse from behind the counter was now pleading as the anxious Sasuke paced across the waiting room floor. The nurse groaned, of all days to be working!

"Sasuke-san? Maybe you should sit down…" Ino piped up from her seat besides a sleeping Shikamaru. "Shika-kun, use your jutsu will you?" she turned to see her husband snoring. Glowering, she punched his shoulder. He still remained fast asleep.

A cry could be heard from the other room. Sasuke's whole body stiffened "She's dying!" he exclaimed before charging towards the door. A weary shadow clone pinned the Uchiha down.

"No she isn't! This is normal, at least that's what Hinata-chan says… right Hinata?" the Uzumaki turned to his slightly blushing wife who quickly nodded.

"Birthing always causes pain."

He turned and stared at the Hyuga for what seemed like hours. "SHE'S IN PAIN?"

Naruto banged his forehead against the table. "It's at times like these when I wish he were back to his old teme self."

Sasuke seemed oblivious to this as he throttled a poor nurse. "Let us in now!" he roared in the terrified woman's face. Being this close to the Uchiha made her pass out.

Hinata gave a little sigh before touching his arm. "Let me try." She walked up to the main desk "Hello, my name is Hyuga Hinata and I work here sometimes. I was wondering if-"

"PLEASE!" the woman shoved her inside the birthing room "Just calm this man down!"

The whole group stared in silence. Sasuke seated himself. Ino groaned in exasperation before resting her head on her husband's arm. Naruto's eye twitched as Sasuke began tapping his foot impatiently. "How long is this going to take?" the Uchiha growled under his breath.

Naruto jumped up and headed towards the front desk. "Um hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto and my wife just went in and I was wondering if-"

"Lord Hokage!" the woman excitedly cried, "Please, go on in!"

Sticking his tongue out at his best friend/rival he entered the room. He exited a second later, his face a ghostly pale. "That was… the most disturbing thing… that I've ever seen."

"WELL WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?" Tenten and Ino screamed in unison, startling their neighbors. "A STORK?"

"Actually…" he chuckled while scratching his spiky blonde head "Yeah… I thought they were trying to squeeze the stork through the window or something."

Everyone in the room slapped their forehead. "Hopeless…"

-

-

A few screams later… the door slowly opened to reveal a beaming Hinata. Her cheeks were pink with delight as she waved towards Sasuke. "Congratulations, she gave birth to two healthy children."

Sasuke was already halfway across the room by the time she opened the door. He froze "T-twins?"

A mischievous glint came to the young Hyuga's eye. "Two girls."

'_Girls…'_ he stood shock still, his eyes widened. Girls meant clothes, makeup, dances, and… boys! "NOOOOOOOOO!!!"

He didn't realize that he said that aloud until all the people in the room turned to look at him. In the background several crickets started chirping. "Um."

Hinata surprised everybody by doubling over with laughter. She laughed for five minutes leaving Sasuke standing there looking very un-Uchiha-like.

"What's so funny?" he growled.

More laughing.

"I'm serious!"

Even more laughing.

"STOP LAUGHING AT ME!"

She suddenly stopped "Okay… she gave birth to twins." She explained "But it's a boy and a girl… Sakura wanted me trick you to see your reaction. Go on in."

Sasuke pushed his way into the birthing room feeling angry and embarrassed. Sakura was sitting up in bed with a serene smile on her face as she held both wailing children in her arms. She looked up to see her husband enter with an angry expression.

"Tricked you." She smiled as she motioned with her finger for him to come over. Sighing he slowly approached the bed and looked down at his children.

"Do you want to hold one?" she asked.

His eyes widened "I-I can't…"

"Why not?"

"They might… break or something."

Inner Sakura was exclaiming over how cute that sounded. Shaking off her Inner's thoughts she gave him a warm smile. "They won't break, I promise. Here you can sit down if you want."

He sat carefully at the edge of the bed and watched as she slowly handed one to him. With trembling hands, he slowly accepted the small wailing bundle. Sasuke held the child against him and gazed down into dark eyes.

"Black?"

Sakura nodded "And it looks like this one will have green eyes… just like her beautiful mother!" her eyes saddened at the word mother. Her mother had passed away a few months ago, but she wasn't going to think about that. Today she was celebrating life. She hugged her pink haired daughter to her.

"Which one am I holding?" Sasuke asked.

She glanced up "The boy."

He looked back down and narrowed his eyes. On the crown of his son's smooth head there was a lone strand of hair. Looking at it carefully he was able to decipher the color. _'…Pink…'_

'_NO!'_

Now instead of being called the Uchiha Force Four, or something cool like that they'd be called the… _'Pinky Squad!'_

'_Scissors!'_ There was no way that his son was going to be pink-haired. He'd sooner have a bald child than be part of the Pinky Squad. It was a hard sacrifice, but he realized that he would have to shave his son's head.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at her seething husband. '_I wonder what's with him?'_

She peered over to see him staring at a hair on her son's head. "Hm?" she squinted. It was pink. "Oh!" she reached a hand out and brushed the hair off, much to her husband's surprise.

She grinned, "A loose hair must've fallen out. Heh!"

Her eyes widened as he fell unconscious on the bed. "I wonder what's with him?" she asked aloud as she retrieved her son and held him to her.

-

-

"So what are you going to name them?"

"I know! Name the boy Lee!"

Sakura leaned back as her friends began pressing her with different names. Some strange and other just plain weird.

"Name him ramen!"

Her eye twitched as she turned to her husband who had just woke up. He glared at the group of people around him and his family.

Sakura suddenly got an idea. Her eyes lit up with delight, this would be better than some of the suggestions. "How about… I name the boy and Sasuke-kun name the girl? Fair enough?' she turned to her husband for approval. He shrugged nonchalantly, why should he care about names? Wasn't that for old women who had nothing to do with their lives?

"Alright… hmmm!" she tapped a finger to her chin "How about… Ryu?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow "Too common. Every other boy in Konoha is named Ryu."

"Well, you couldn't come up with something better!" she huffed.

"I could."

"Couldn't!"

"Could."

She stuck her tongue out at him "Let's name him… Jiraiya then."

"NO!"

"Orochimaru?"

His eye twitched "HELL NO!"

"Kabuto?"

"What is wrong with you?" Sasuke, Ino, Tenten, and Neji yelled in unison. The pink haired woman shrugged.

"No one liked the name Ryu, so I decided to try out a few other names instead." She said with a careless wave of her hand. The others sighed.

Sasuke glared at his wife "If you name the child any of those I'm going to name the daughter Tsunade."

Sakura gasped in horror "You wouldn't!"

"I would."

"Fine… how about Hisoka?"

Sasuke shrugged, glad that she chose a reasonable name. "Fine. It's a lot better than Orochimaru or ramen." He glared at Naruto.

"What? It's a great name!"

The Uchiha stared down at his daughter who was just passed to him. What to name her? It was difficult naming girls. Boys didn't care about their names, girls were always complaining. Perhaps it'd be better just to name the girl after a special female in his life. Mikoto? Nah, he didn't want any more reminders.

The whole room sat in silence as they awaited his decision. Sakura was silently praying that it wouldn't be something stupid like Tsunade.

Sasuke continued to stare before heaving out a giant sigh. "Keiko."

"Keiko?" everyone asked in unison. They looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "Keiko."

Sakura smiled down at her daughter "Keiko. I like it."

The baby seemed to like it too as Keiko and Hisoka both giggled. Hisoka grabbed a handful of his mother's hair and yanked earning a scream from the said woman. Sasuke smirked as he passed Keiko to a smiling Hyuga Hinata.

-

-

"OKASAN!!! HISOKA PULLED MY HAIR!"

"Hn."

Sakura turned to Sasuke who just entered the door. He raised an eyebrow at her before entering the kitchen and grabbing a glass of water.

"Sasuke-kun… could you please handle this one?" she pleaded as she balanced baby Yasuo on one arm.

He shook his head "Mission. I came to get my sword."

"Sasuke…"

Four year old Keiko ran into the kitchen followed by her stoic twin. He looked up at his father and folded his arms. Keiko ran to her mother and buried her face in her legs. "Okasan! He's being mean to me!"

"I am not. You're just being a baby." Hisoka said coolly, his arms still folded. The small boy looked for all the world like his father. His black hair was cut in a similar style and his dark eyes were serious.

Keiko had black hair with pink highlights and emerald green eyes. Her hair was pulled into two pigtails giving her an innocent look. Sakura glared at her husband before thrusting a one year old Yasuo into his father's arms. Unlike his siblings, his hair was a dark chocolate color and his eyes dark brown.

"Take care of him."

Sasuke smirked as his wife scolded the squabbling twins. He turned to his young son who giggled before tugging viciously on his hair. "Ouch!" he cried much to his son's amusement.

He turned his infamous glare on the one year old which seemed to have no effect on him. He looked back at his wife. She had her long pink locks wrapped into a bun and wore an apron over her normal outfit. She retired as a shinobi and now worked part time at the hospital in order to be with her family.

Sasuke had to admit this woman had serious commitment. As he watched the sullen faced twins apologize to each other, he couldn't help but smile. Never in his life was he more grateful for the Fifth Hokage. He remembered a day when power was everything to him. Now, it was taking care of the family. Sasuke no longer missed his old life.

As Sakura approached him and relieved him of the child, he realized that he wouldn't trade this life for the world.

-

-

**The End**

**Cheesy? I think so. Sucky? Most definitely. Lame? All the way. But I wrote it and I am through with this story! I am so glad that I'm done with this! Thank you for your reviews! I love each and every one of you and can't wait till my next project.**

**Okay my next SasuSaku is called 'All My Life'. It's an AU fic about… well I don't want anyone stealing my idea but I'll give a Summary.**

**Summary: A motorcycle accident leaves Sasuke an amnesiac. As he tries to rebuild his life, he meets a girl. Who is this girl and how does she know so much about him? What does she have to do with him? AU SasuSaku**

**That's for later though. I'll probably start on it tomorrow. My other fic is a AU SasuHina called… 'Art School Romance' or something like that. Summary coming soon! Please check them out along with 'Cliché'. That's all for now.**

**Thank you guys again. You reviewers are the best that anyone could ask for. I really feel remorseful ending this series; I'll really miss you guys.**


	23. Announcement please read

Hi, yeah I normally don't do announcements but I figured that posting this is the only way to contact aaaallllllll of you. I do apologize if anyone was expecting an extra chapter.

**-clears throat- Okay first off, I decided to do a sequel to Wait I'm Marrying Who? It will not be the same. There is no dramatic plot; it's pretty much a look into Sasuke and Sakura's life as parents and how their relationship develops (there some drama). Why? Because it's never Happily ever after, that's why. The story is called… um… 'The things I do for love'. It was originally gonna be called something different but I figured that it'd be another quote like the first one. It's gonna be shorter, about 11 chapters maybe but lots of fun. It'll be coming out between today and tomorrow so keep an eye out.**

'**All My Life' comes out today as well so check it out. I'll post the second chapter when I get time. I also am working on another AU which will be a NaruHina (I decided that I really like this pairing and want to try it). Before you brush it off keep in mind that I do not do the 'usual'.**

**Ummm besides that I'm going to try to stick to fics in the Naruto World since those are lots of fun. I'll probably start my next one in a month or two.**

**-phew- that's it. I just figured I'd let out all know at once rather than scan through the reviews and write replies. I have dial up so I have to stick with whatever is cheapest. Anywayzers, I hope you all had a great Christmas and will have an even better New Year. I know I'm going to spend my New Year watching the Pucca Marathon and eating a salad. Dance Pucca Dance!**

**The one and only, Nikki**


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